


The Horrorverse

by Gamewizard2008



Series: Kids Next Door Gameverse [37]
Category: Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Codename: Kids Next Door, Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Mad Father, One Piece, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Death, F/M, Friendship, Halloween, Nightmares, Pirates, city
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 75,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: The 3rd story of the Newborn Saga,The Horrorverse, also called theHorror's Hand Arc. Affright has acquired Horror's Hand. The Kids Next Door are swallowed by nightmares and the world is thrown into eternal night. Old Nolan York and a small team of allies must work together and stop Affright in the longest Halloween ever. Alas, former Numbuh 2030 is haunted by the ghosts of his past.See the story on FanFiction.https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12672456/1/The-Horrorverse





	1. The Nightmare Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Crystal Wickens considers hanging up the hero act, the world is plunged into Nightmares by none other than Affright.

**Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 3rd story of the Newborn Saga. This will be Nolan York-centered (because we just can’t start a saga without our favorite vigilante). This story draws heavy inspiration from the game _Batman: Arkham Knight_ , and you’ll catch the similarities if you know that game.**

****

**_

Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins

_**

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_Sleeeeeepiiiiing… Beauuuuty fair…_

_Goooold of suuuunshine iiiin your hair…_

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away… A beautiful prince walks to the top of his tower.

_Lips that shame the red, red rose…_

_Dreaming of true love in slumber repose…_

Before his eyes, a manifestation of darkness appears from the flashing lightning. The prince’s mismatched eyes fall upon the Key in the villain’s hand.

_One day, he will come_

_Riding over the dawn…_

The dark figure lifts the prince above him and throws him over the tower. Down, down he fell, until he met with the earth.

_When you awaken to love’s first kiss_

_’Til then, Sleeping Beauty, sleep on…_

The prince’s mourning subjects gathered around him, bowing their heads to their beloved ruler. They all chose to join him in slumber, until the day he would awaken.

_One day, you’ll awaken to love’s first kiss…_

_’Til then… Sleeping Beauty… sleep on…_

A man in a gas mask looks over the prince’s body.

**York Household, 10p.m.**

A lone orange leaf on a lone tree snapped off its branch, swaying in the air as it joined its hundreds of brethren on the ground. Every yard was covered with dead leaves, almost every tree was bare. An eerie wind blew on this cloudy night. The only lights came from houses and the brimming faces of candlelit jack-o’-lanterns. Kids wouldn’t be outside on a night as dark as this. At least… not until tomorrow.

A car pulled up in the driveway of a house whose mailbox read York. The driver of this car pulled off a gas mask and came out on his wheelchair. His trenchcoat and hat camouflaged himself in the dark. The man rolled up to his front door, typed ‘2853’ in the security lock, and entered.

After hanging up his coat and hat, he looked to see his son playing a videogame on the couch. Beside him was a shadowy creature with orange hair in two ponytails. “Hey, Dad! Mom left you dinner in the refrigerator.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Dillon? It’s a school night.”

“We’re having a Halloween party tomorrow, we ain’t gonna learn anything. Besides, I wanna be up _real_ late tomorrow night. This is just practice.”

A ponytailed girl with candy in her hair zipped out of the game console. “I’m going as a WITCH this year!” Vanellope von Schweetz cheered. She was a Program girl their family adopted three years ago. “What do you think of my hat, Dad?” she asked, showing off her rainbow-colored candy witch hat. “I made it myself!”

“Ha ha, it’s cute, Vanel!”

“And hey, isn’t tomorrow the 3-year anniversary since you adopted me?”

“That was November 3, silly. Speaking of which, you want me to go trick-or-treating with you again, Dillon?”

“Come on, I’m 14. I don’t need an adult with me.”

“Fair point. Well, don’t stay up too late. Sigh… I don’t feel hungry.” The man rolled toward the stairs and used the wheelchair lift to carry him up. He heard water running mixed with a soft, beautiful humming. It was a humming that made every night worth it and always softened his heart. He entered the bedroom, seeing steam coming from under the door to their bathroom. His wife was showering. After a night in that damp and dirty city, he needed someone warm and clean to lay with.

“Eh… my gear can survive another night.” he said, deciding not to put his work clothes in the laundry basket. Instead, he set them on a shelf and changed into his pajamas. With that, he fell onto their bed and waited for his wife to join him. “Yaaaawn…” He held his iPhone towards the ceiling and searched articles like _Multiple Murders, Same Victim?_ ; _Kids Next Door: Are They Good For Us?_ ; and _Dr. Drevis’ New Formula_. “What a crazy world we live in…” The man turned to put his phone on the nightstand, then returned to facing the ceiling—

“MISS ME, NOLAN?!?” A psychotic child with blonde hair, a bloody face, and bulging mismatched eyes jumped over him. “AH HAHAHAHA! HA HA HA!” He clasped Nolan’s neck and squeezed him to his last breath. Nolan grabbed the boy’s arms and desperately tried to pull them off. He squirmed and rolled before he was able to get him off, throwing the boy against the door. Nolan hunched over on the bed to catch his breath, then fell on his back again.

“Hello, honey.” Nolan whipped right and saw his wife come out of the bathroom. Danika was a slim and soft woman with dark brown eyes, black hair with a blue streak in the middle, and wore a black bra and underpants. Her hair was still slightly wet. “Awww, you’re sweaty… Was it a hard night?”

Nolan looked to where he threw the boy, seeing him gone. “Er… yeah…” He looked as Danika climbed in the bed.

“I’m guessing Holiday had something creative planned?”

“Apparently. He gave me and Crystal the slip. Well, he’ll definitely show himself tomorrow…”

“So, who you going as? Batman again?”

“Yeah right. I get enough of those jokes…”

“I still got my Catwoman suit…” Danika smirked.

“Hey, I don’t wanna feel like I’m doing it with Scarlet.”

“For a vigilante, you sure don’t like to roleplay. Fine, Mr. Real, let’s do it _normally_.” Her black lips were about to meet his. “Um… sweetie, what is that on your headband?”

“Headband?” Nolan took off the headwear and turned it to face his face, revealing his messy black hair and 5-o’clock shadow to the camera. “When did this get on my face?!”

Danika took it to get a close-up of her face. “Sorry, pervs, you don’t get to see anything. Good-bye.” She threw the camera on the floor. While the bed made creaking sounds, all the camera could see was a carpeted floor.

…

…

…

Nolan saw from a pair of eyes that were not his own. He was staring down at fingers that looked like rotting straw, tapping on a table. He viewed around the dark, filthy alien bar and could not determine his location. At his table was a strange white-faced man in a thick brown coat, sunglasses, and a top-hat with long and thick black hair hanging behind him.

Nolan watched as a pink-skinned woman in a white robe approached them. “Good evening.” She bowed. “My master will see you now.” His body acting on its own, Nolan followed her down a dark passage. “I present to you, Taneleer Tivan. The Collector.” He viewed around a vast chamber with glass cages containing alien flora, people, and artifacts. The eyes fell upon a blonde-haired man in a black coat with fur on the edges. He slowly turned, showing his bushy blonde brows, dark eyes, and a black line down his chin.

“Greetings…” Tivan spoke in a quiet, French accent. “Do you have something to offer me?”

“No.” said the voice of the one Nolan was seeing from. “I heard you were in possession of a certain artifact…”

“You will have to be more specific. My Colleción _is_ composed of the rarest of all known artifacts.”

“Horror’s Hand.”

Tivan cocked a brow. “And what do you desire of said relic?”

“I desire to see if it is real.”

“Very well… This way.” Tivan led him to a glass cage with a giant golden left hand. The hand had an eye in its palm. The man put his gloved right hand to the glass.

“By staring into its eye… one is thrown into their greatest fear. Is this true, Collector?”

“Indeed, it is… When I gazed into its pupil, I saw my Colleción… burning into ashes. I was horrified, until I realized… the universe will always have more to give me. I wonder, Monsieur, what your greatest fear is?”

The man stared at the eye. “…I am fear.” A pink light flashed from the eye.

Nolan’s vision was white. He could make out a blurry shadow. _“…ad… Dad…”_

Daylight shone into the bedroom window. Dillon shook his father awake. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a blue bird design. “D-Dillon? What time is…”

“It’s 7:20, Mom already left for work. Whaddo you think of my Nightwing costume?”

“It’s great… Wait, didn’t the bus come, yet?!”

“It did, but I wanted you to drive me in your Sandmobile! It’ll look awesome!”

“Ugh… Fine, Dillon.” Nolan lazily climbed out of bed and followed the excited boy downstairs and outside. The camera view was now positioned behind him. “Midna, is that camera yours?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” said the floating shadow girl that was carrying it. “I better not find anything naughty in this.”

“Missed out on that.” Nolan went outside to see his son was already in the Sandmobile. The day was bright and vibrant as the dark clouds were far away in the distance.

“Hey Dad, can we go the long way?” Dillon requested.

“What long way?”

“I’ll tell you, let’s do it!”

“(I thought you said you outgrew me…)” mumbled the tired adult. Nolan climbed into his driver’s seat and started the Sandmobile. The high-tech vehicle moved with the speed of a racecar as it sped through the neighborhood. Midna had to fly faster to keep the camera behind it.

“Left! Right! Another right!” Dillon cheered, the Sandmobile making tight, dangerous turns.

“This is why Batman didn’t have any kids…”

“He had like FOUR kids.” Dillon stated. “Just not blood ones. Heck, me and Carol even went as Tim and Batgirl last year.”

“Oooo, sounds romantic.”

“I-It was just a play!” The boy flushed.

“Uh-oh, there’s a train coming.” Nolan noticed the upcoming railroad tracks.

“USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH!” At Dillon’s shout, Nolan slammed the boost pedal and shot past the tracks before the train came. After a few more turns, they arrived at James Woods Elementary.

“There, tutorial level over. We’re at school.”

“Dad, it looks like some bullies are harassing that kid over there.” Dillon pointed at a tree.

“So, go help him.”

“Nah, just shoot them with your car!”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Come on, they’re not real bullets, right? They’re the non-killing bullets you made with Nagisa.”

“For criminals, not common bullies!”

“Just this once and I’ll never make you drive me again! Pleeeaaaase?”

“Ugh, fine.” With that, a cannon appeared on the Sandmobile and locked onto the three bullies. One shot at a time, they were knocked out.

“AAAAAAAAHHH!” The kid they were antagonizing screamed and ran into the building. Other kids were running in panic.

“It’s okay, they aren’t dead!” Nolan yelled through the speaker. “Alright, Dillon, get out.”

“Hehe, you’re such a killer, Dad!” Dillon snickered, jumping out of the car and running to the building.

“Heh heh. Love ya too, son.” Nolan waved. With that, he drove the car out of there before the uproar would increase.

**The Q**

“Hm hm hm! Can you believe someone already wrote a book about that universe?” Crystal asked Nolan. She was reading a book titled, _The First Dimension_. “Though I guess since OUR universe was reborn, I suppose they had time to… The whole thing is so confusing, though.”

“Yeah…”

“Oh, I recognize that look. Something on your mind, Nolan?”

“Oh, not really. Just had trouble sleeping last night.”

“Really? Last night was easy. Ever since the universe was saved, these criminals have been really slowing down.”

“I know, but… I’ve been having nightmares.”

“Not about that ‘Shimmer’ thing again, is it?”

“No, those have stopped.”

“Actually, Nolan, ever since that whole adventure, I’ve had something on my mind as well. I wasn’t sure how to put it into words, but… well… I think we should consider hanging it all up.”

“Hanging what up?”

“Hwhat do you think?” Crystal chuckled. “The vigilante stuff. I just have my doubts that the world _needs_ you, me, and—…” She stopped herself before saying Yuki’s name. “…Just two vigilantes… anymore. The Kids Next Door are just so much more amazing now, and there’s nothing that can challenge them after the Destroyer of Universes. No matter what the Brotherhood or any random Villain of the Week try, the Kids Next Door will always win.”

“But our job is different from the KND, Crystal.”

“Pfft, HOW? Just how many times have they gotten involved in our missions, or vice-versa? Now, this might stem from the fact that I wasn’t in New Galaxia for five minutes before getting turned into a card, but you must admit I have a point.”

Nolan had no rebuttal. It was his discussion with Nagisa all over again. “…I guess you’re right.”

“Granted, I’m still in the prime of my youth. I’m thinking of going to work for Adams’ Tech. I’m sure you can help put in a good word for me with Kimberly, right?”

“Of course, Wick. What are friends for?”

“Hm hm hm! Well, I believe I’ll hit the costume store. I want to see if I look good in anything besides a witch robe. Care to join me?”

“I got nothing better to do.” Nolan shrugged.

With that, the two adults left the bookstore, breathing in the crisp night air. “…Er… Crystal?” Nolan sensed something amiss. “Does something seem off to you?”

The sky was dark. Streetlights were on. Stars glittered the sky. …Crystal and Nolan gazed horrifically: a massive jack-o’-lantern had taken the place of the sun. It brimmed an eerie orange.

A swarm of bats seemed to be swooping down from the jack-o’-lantern. These bats turned out to be humanoid monsters with wings, possessing the heads of rats, cats, platypuses, and vicious versions of other animals. Ten of these monsters faced The Q, and the people began to scream and run. Nolan and Crystal, however, grabbed their weapons.

Nolan threw boomerangs to stun the first monster, then rolled up to start beating on it. A lion monster lifted him out of his chair from behind, but Nolan wrapped his arms back, grabbed the beast, and hurled it overhead and headfirst against the ground. Nolan then uppercut the previous monster, sending it to the air as Crystal then leapt to bat it with her staff. Crystal shot fire at the other monsters, ducking when one tried to grab her, then whacking it off its feet. Crystal jumped onto the monster and bashed it in the head to knock it out.

Crystal froze another monster, leaving Nolan to punch it senseless in one hit. Four of the monsters gathered around Crystal, but using the Ground Quake setting on her staff, she blew them all back. Nolan did a ground takedown on one while Crystal went for another. Unfortunately, more monsters had begun to swoop in. “Oh, forget this!” Nolan said impatiently, tapping his wristwatch. “Get slagged!”

The Sandmobile extracted its cannon and blasted the monsters with Antikill, KOing them easily. Nolan then grabbed a device with a glass vial on it and stuck it against one of the monsters, taking its blood. “Scan says it’s Nightmare DNA. …But that can only mean-”

“Nolan, look!” Crystal shouted. Towering over the city in holographic form, lit by the light of the jack-o’-lantern sun, was a man who dressed and looked like a scarecrow.

 _“Greetings, people of the world. And may I say, Happy Halloween. …I understand that it’s a different date in some parts of the world, but it matters not. Because, as of this moment, the Always Hallows’ Eve has begun. As you can see, I hold the power of Horror’s Hand.”_ He extended his left hand, which bore a clawed glove with a shining pink eye on its palm. _“An ancient relic so powerful, it will give even the gods nightmares. This hand contains every fear in the entire universe. And with its power, on the night when Nightmares are at their strongest, I have blotted out the sun. No one will ever look up at the sky and feel its warmth again._

 _“Oh, but now you’re thinking… ‘Why should we be afraid? We have the Kids Next Door! The saviors of the universe!’ Cast these thoughts aside, good people. I can assure you that the Kids Next Door have succumbed to my will. Enjoy the Horrorverse.”_ The eye of Horror’s Hand flashed. _“This night has only just begun. And I have 100 verses of fear-related poetry to keep you entertained.”_ And the hologram faded away.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Nolan said. “Crystal, let’s get to Sector Q.” His friend nodded, and they quickly hopped into the Sandmobile. They sped through the city, blasting more monsters that were terrorizing civilians. Affright’s voice echoed throughout the city.

_“Verse Number One: What Is Fear? Fear is what we feel at the moment of birth. A helpless infant who knows nothing of the world around them. Inexperienced. Uninformed. We fear the unknown. That is why we wet our beds over tales of the Boogeyman. And only when we gaze up at our mother’s smile do the fears go. But what if Mother’s smile was not there? What if there was no Father to fight the monsters? What if there were no Kids Next Door? Then there would be no hope. Only then do we experience True Fear.”_

Nolan and Crystal returned to their neighborhood and parked the Sandmobile below Sector Q Treehouse. Nolan held onto Crystal as he grappled them up to the balcony. The two barged into the living room-

“AAAAAAAHHH!” Quill Ramsey jumped and grabbed Nolan’s neck, his face manic. Nolan punched him off and saw that the other Sector Q members were running about in a panic. “DIE, WHALES! DIE!” Drake Puncture cried, blasting his harpoon randomly. The harpoon flew for Nolan, but he grabbed it and yanked the boy over, punching him unconscious. The other kids ran to attack the adults with horrific expressions, leaving them no choice but to knock the kids out.

“Affright was able to fill their treehouse with Nightmare Toxin.” Nolan deduced. “But where did it come from?”

“It’s coming from the branches!” Crystal pointed up as red gas seeped in from the tree branches. “But I don’t understand how that’s possible.”

Nolan rolled up to the TV and pressed the communication button. “This is Sector Q calling Sector V! Come in Sector V!”

_“Adult voice detected. Activating security-”_

“Computer, it’s me, Nolan.”

 _“Oh, Nolan! Long time, no see! My, you look… a little less for wear. Anyway, contacting Sector V now.”_ The screen became static before bringing up an image of their living room.

 _“DIE, AMISH, DIE!”_ A manic Haylee was bashing Kirie with her wrench, and the latter was munching Rainbow Monkey stuffing like cereal. Sheila Frantic raised up in front of the camera, wearing a Conker mask, and said, _“Suck off, mother fuzzer.”_ and shot the screen.

“Calling Sector W!” Nolan shouted. The screen showed Sally and Harvey choking each other with yo-yos and Fybi was taping her wings down. “Calling Sector W7!”

 _“NEE HEE HEE HEEEEE!”_ Chimney’s bloodshot eyes and psychotic grin were against the camera. _“Nekos taste MUY OISHĪ!”_ she said as she forced her teeth into Gonbe.

“Sector JP!” The screen switched to one of Kodama tying fireworks to herself and lighting the fuse, Yuzu stuffing herself with ramen, and Karin repeatedly stomping Jinta’s head against the floor. _“Stomp me harder! STOMP ME HARDER, DAMN IT!!”_ Jinta shouted.

“…Sector SA!” The screen switched to Index constantly sticking a finger in her mouth and vomiting, along with Goombella setting fire to books.

“This is awful!” Crystal said. “Affright’s poisoned nearly all the relevant Kids Next Door sectors!”

Nolan passed her a weird look. “What? I didn’t see you try to contact Sector E.”

 _“Oh, hello, Sandman.”_ Affright’s face suddenly appeared onscreen. _“I thought I would find you on this channel. Enjoying the show? I am, too. And the world will, as well, because I am broadcasting every sector to the airwaves. The people who looked up at those treehouses with hope will now see the darkness and turmoil that lies within. They will see, not valiant heroes, but monsters, mindlessly tearing each other apart. And before you ask, I have taken the liberty of pumping the schools full of toxin as well, ensuring that each and every Kids Next Door operative, threatening or not, is out of commission.”_

“Dillon!” Nolan gasped.

 _“So, now you must be wondering, what do I plan to do with you? True, in the past, the legend of Numbuh 2030 brought children inspiration, and brought enemies fear. But that legend was vastly overshadowed by the exploits of your children. We no longer fear you, Sandman. And even if you try to save them all, it will be too late.”_ The screen went dead.

 _“Unable to trace source of communication.”_ Computer said.

“Damn it! Affright must have been planning this for months! We have to get to the school and rescue Dillon!”

“But what about Sector Q here? And all the other sectors? If Affright has really trapped them all, what are we supposed to do?”

Nolan clasped his head. In truth, he didn’t know where to go after Dillon, how to begin searching for Affright on such short notice. “…Haruka… Crystal, I remembered something: three years ago, Haruka trained herself to be immune to Nightmare Toxin when she was testing her new metahuman powers. Crystal, take the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in Sector Q’s hangar, go to Virginia, and look for her. She’s the best chance we have at curing the operatives. I’ll head for James Woods Elementary. Report to me by the hour so I know nothing bad’s happened.”

“You sure you can handle it by yourself?”

“Sure. I’ll just need to grab some equipment from the Sandcave.”

“Okay. See you soon, Nolan.” Crystal boarded her staff and rode out of the treehouse, going down to the hangar.

Meanwhile, Nolan set his sights on his house and glided down. He entered and was about to head into his hideout via the closet, but- “Huh?” His code lock was replaced with a terminal with a green “?”.

_“Good morning, Sandman! Or would ‘evening’ be a less confusing term given the circumstances?”_

Nolan heard the voice coming from his TV. He rolled up to see his face. “Oh, not you again.” He recognized the man with glasses and the green jacket riddled with ?’s. “Look, Riddler, I already found all your trophies after the Seven Lights Quest, I don’t have time for more of your OCD right now.”

_“We’ll see who has OCD… OCD, OCD. Listen, Sandman, ever since you defeated me, I have been biding my time, waiting for my chance to plot my revenge. So, when Affright was plotting his little ‘scheme,’ I was given the opportunity to develop a whole new smörgåsbord of riddles! And I expect you to play along.”_

“Fine, just give me the code to my hideout and I’ll get started.”

 _“Now, that doesn’t sound very convincing. Sigh, simpletons like you always need some sort of incentive. Perhaps this will persuade you?”_ Riddler cut to a picture of Danika York, tied up, gagged, and blindfolded as she struggled in her seat.

“Danika?”

 _“That’s right.”_ The Riddler showed clips of Angelie McKenzie, Luvbi Fulbright, Matthew Dimalanta, and finally Eva Jackson. _“You’d be surprised how gullible one becomes when one’s gasoline tank is refilled with sleeping gas. Slap chi-blocks on them and even fierce Logias become easier to manage! I have hidden these proud parents in indiscernible locations around the world, locations I shall only reveal after you solve my riddles. And if you should seek their hiding places by some OTHER underhanded means, know that I have them set to be executed!”_

“Ugh. Alright, I’ll play your game. But unless I can get into my hideout, I’ll certainly be taking my time with it.”

_“Impatient and unprepared as always. Very well. Solve this riddle and I’ll allow you into my network.”_

**? The princess who lives with you and your wife, still longs for the Hero she knew from a past life. ?**

Nolan already knew the answer. He made his way to Dillon’s room, where Midna also slept. Inside his closet hung a green tunic with a pointed hat, white pants, and brown boots. Nolan snapped it with his wristwatch camera. _“Very good, Sandman! I guess even monkeys can solve puzzles. Alright, here are my codes. But you’ll need more than THEM to solve MY riddles. For now, I must go… That smörgåsbord comment made me hungry.”_

_Side Quest: The Riddle Hunt: Find all 500 Riddles scattered across the world._

Nolan shook his head in annoyance. He rolled back to his closet and hacked the terminal, decoding the code ‘Obvious.’ After entering his Sandcave, Nolan retrieved his utility belt, equipped with a boomerang, Line Launcher, Shock Rod, and Grapple-Cam. “…This isn’t enough.” Nolan rolled up to his keyboard and typed a code. Three vials of green liquid came out. “Sigh… I promised Danika I wouldn’t use these, anymore. But I can’t underestimate Affright. Not now.” He injected himself in the leg. Feeling strength course through his lower body, Nolan stood from his wheelchair and kicked his legs forth.

He felt a pair of small hands touch his shoulders. “Ah, we don’t need those bitches, anyway.” said the mangled form of Revan Bane Sidious, snuggling up to Nolan’s head. “So, can I drive?”


	2. Together, Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolan York goes to rescue his son from Holiday, but is constantly plagued by the ghost of Revan Bane.

**Every journey needs a little annoying companion. And who better than one that’s dead?**

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Chapter 2: Together, Forever

_**

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**Quahog**

“Ahhh, this reminds me of the good old days.” said Revan Bane, soaring alongside Nolan over the rooftops. “You, me, a whole army of crazy supervillains, trampling the KND one treehouse at a time. You would think, after 23 years, they would’ve ditched those old things and upgraded to their mother’s basements. They’re wasting good lumber by not cutting those trees down! Don’t ya think?”

Nolan said nothing and kept his sights focused on the school ahead. “Aww, come on, Nolan. Are you still mad about that fight in Final Brain? I don’t wanna point fingers, but YOU cut off my legs and threw me off the roof! And **I** was nice enough to restore the life force in YOUR legs! (Even though I have _no_ idea how that was scientifically possible.) It’s kind of romantic when you think about it, though; how my Force Lightning was able to keep you going for this long. And yet, you actually thought you’d gotten rid of me. I think we both know, Nolan.” Revan floated up and lay on his shoulder. “You and I… we’re connected by a thread of Fate. A thread thicker than the Death Star’s outer wall and the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se combined. But hey, at least we don’t have a side plot where a former sidekick of yours comes back from the dead and wants to kill you. _It was Jason Todd.”_ he whispered in Nolan’s ear.

Nolan landed on the roof of James Woods Elementary. He walked toward the edge and hung from it upside-down to view into a window. Students and teachers were furiously tearing at each other. “Affright really has poisoned the school. And it’s coming from the vents.”

“You don’t have to talk verbally to me, Nolan, I can read your thoughts.” Revan said.

Nolan climbed back up and used Detective Vision. “There’s even armed guards in the hallway. They must’ve known I would be coming. If I’m going to sneak in, I need to shut off the ventilation system. Nothing the old Sandmobile couldn’t do.” Nolan used a remote to summon the Sandmobile, watching it zoom automatically from up the street and run down several Nightmares. He began to control it remotely and drive it around the school. He found the ventilation generators and latched the Sandmobile’s power wench onto a switch.

“Why does the school have a convenient switch that works with your Sandmobile?!” Revan asked as the car channeled power through it. “It’s like somebody had it installed for this VERY occasion.”

Once Sandman was finished, he peeked in the window again. “The gas has stopped. It should be safer to crawl through the vents. It won’t help the kids’ condition, though. But maybe this will.” So with that, Nolan leapt off and KICKED through the window. The screaming kids charged at him out of fear, but Nolan’s superior reflexes were too much for them. A girl jumped him from behind and choked him, but Nolan hauled her overhead and slammed her headfirst against a boy, knocking both out.

Nolan was able to knock every kid out, but that was when the teacher started throwing staplers at him from the desk. “GET OUT OF HERE, you little turds! I WON’T be stuck here with you, I WON’T!”

Nolan dodged his head as his mask scanned the chalkboard and highlighted it. “Right: I can takedown opponents using the environment around them. Seems like a good place to start.” With that, Nolan flipped over, grabbed the woman, and forced her fingernails against the chalkboard. “AAAAAAAGGGGH!” she screeched from the horrible sensation before Nolan SLAMMED her against the board and knocked her out.

Almost immediately, Nolan’s wristwatch rang. Thinking it could be Crystal, he was quick to answer. _“Yoohooooo! Hiya, Mr. York!”_ Carol Masterson appeared on his holo-screen.

“C-Carol? You haven’t been poisoned, either?”

_“I’m guessing that means you heard the news? Vanellope told me everyone at James Woods is going crazy.”_

“I’m at James Woods now.”

_“Good; Dillon, Maddy, and some other kids are being held in the auditorium. She’s too afraid to fight the guards because they might hurt them, but she’s keeping watch on them just in case.”_

“I’ll save them. What about you, is your sector okay?”

_“All my teammates reported to be okay; thankfully, none of them stayed at the treehouse. I retreated to a secret hideout the second everything went down. Naturally, I don’t stand a chance against those monsters, so the least I can do is help you out.”_

“It’s enough, Carol. I’ll keep you posted.”

 _“Hey, this room sounds awfully quiet!”_ voices shouted on the outside. _“I’m gonna see what’s up.”_

Four guards with guns barged into the room, but Nolan had already grappled up to the air duct. Leaving them to hopelessly search the classroom, Nolan began crawling through the ducts. When he turned a corner, Revan was there, facing him and crawling backwards. “You know what, Nolan, I just realized you have a son! You naughty dog, gettin’ it on with Danika. Is he a good boy? Just kidding, I can read your thoughts, I know he doesn’t give a shit about you, anymore. But don’t worry, maybe I can straighten him out.”

Nolan reached a vent above a teacher’s lounge, where three unarmed thugs were conversing. “Hey, I think the gas stopped coming out of the vents.”

“Good riddance. Now we can drink our coffee in peace.”

“Well, it’s not like it was gonna do anything with those magic cinnamon rolls Mumbo made us eat.”

“Yeah, but who knows how long they last. I mean, as long as the kids were gassed, I don’t see the point of keeping them-”

Nolan dropped and did a Takedown on the first guy, then his goggles highlighted the microwave on the table, signifying an Environment Takedown. Nolan grabbed the microwave and smashed it over the second guy’s head. “AAAAAH!” he screamed from the unbearable heat before Nolan knocked him out. The third guy was actually highlighted green, so Sandman knew he was a Riddler Informant. Nolan grabbed him by the neck and raised him.

“I can tell you work for Riddler. You should know I’m VERY OCD.”

“No no, I getcha! Here are some trophies!”

 _Trophies added to map._ “Thank you.” Then Nolan knocked him out.

“Oh ho ho!” laughed a foreign guy behind him. “Is funny because you are OC of Depthcharge and it makes OCD!” Nolan whipped around and slammed him against a shelf, KOing him as well. “Ohhhh…”

Nolan peeked out into the hallway. Seeing none of the guards were looking his way, he rolled the Grapple-Cam out, closed the door, and controlled the device safely from the teacher’s lounge. He grappled it up above the lockers and called, “Hey, jackasses.”

“What? Did you hear somethin’?” a guard asked.

“I think it came from over there.” They both approached the area near the Grapple-Cam. With both guards close together, Nolan snuck out of the lounge and slammed their heads together. The four guards from before came back out, so Nolan grappled up to one of many gargoyles near the ceiling.

“How the HELL did you convince the principle to have these things set up?” Revan asked. “‘In case something like this would happen,’ OH PLEASE.”

“Hey, what happened to these guys?” one of the guards asked.

“It must be the Sandman… the boss said he might come here. Spread out and find him.” The guards split into groups of two.

In both groups, one guard would be facing backwards while the other aimed forward. “The Grapple-Cam might not fool them like this.” Nolan said to himself. “And I doubt these guards are as stupid as in the games. Hmm…” Two of the guards were about to walk by an electric generator. “Convenient.” He fired the Shock Rod at it and magnetically drew the guards into it. The generator zapped them and exploded, KOing them.

“Oh God, those two just got zapped!” one of the other guards shouted.

“Don’t go help them, that’s how he gets ya!”

“He also does this.” Nolan threw a boomerang into a fire extinguisher near them and exploded it into a cloud of fog. He was able to drop in and bash their heads together without being seen.

**? He’s a greater threat than you or me; I pity the poor students of Grade Three. ?**

“Ah, right, Riddles. Sigh, I’ll do a few just to satiate him.” Nolan checked his map and noticed a riddle solution in one of the classrooms. He barged into that room and searched for it. There was a peculiar picture of a 3rd-grade class with Peter Griffin among the students—as an adult. Nolan snapped a photo of the picture, and the solution collected. Nolan then spotted a “?” in a box marked in the location of the lockers. He approached that locker and forced it open, finding a glowing, floating green box. Nolan curiously touched it, and was magically sucked inside.

He landed in a dark-green room on a ledge over a dark pit. Riddler’s face appeared on a screen. _“Welcome, Sandman, to the first of my many patented Riddle Cubes!”_

“You built a magic puzzle box?”

_“It is called a RIDDLE CUBE!! And before you ask, as genius as I am, the unexplained powers of magic are beyond even my technical expertise. So, I hired top quality carpenters to build these. With blueprints provided by me, of course. Your task in these Riddle Cubes is simple: find the trophy in the allotted timeframe. If time runs out, you will be forced out of the cube and will have to start from the first room and make your way down again. Your first test starts NOW!”_

With 10 seconds, Nolan used the Line Launcher to zip across the pit—to his left was a platform behind a floating wall, so he redirected the Line Launcher to swing over and grab the trophy on the platform. He then had to zipline back and enter a new Riddle Cube. This next room was divided in nine cracked segments of floor. Nolan quickly sprayed Explosive Gel on each segment to blow them up—the second one thankfully had the trophy, so Nolan snatched it. The next cube brought him to a room with three Riddlerbots, which were painted green with black ?’s, had buff bodies and forced grins. Nolan fought them as fast as he could, but the robots proved too durable, and the 10 seconds were up.

Nolan was spat out of the Riddler Cube. _“Aww, what’s wrong, Sandman, slowing down in your old age?”_

“Ugh… I’ll come back for it later.” Nolan stated, stuffing the trophies he did win into his coat pocket.

_“I hope I don’t have to constantly remind you of the vitality of my riddles, Sandman. They are not just to save your friends—or for my own amusement—but they are meant for sharpening your knowledge and your memory. The same way I learned from videogames. You see, I achieved all S-Rank on every Sonic game—I found every collectible in every Rareware game… after hacking Canary Mary to fly with half speed. Perfection is power, Mr. York, and I expect you to realize that by the time you find all my trophies.”_

Nolan sighed and rushed to the stairs near the end of the hall. Unfortunately, the stairs were destroyed and an electrified pool was looming below. Nolan glided down to the ledge that was still intact, and from there he could see a switch above the doors. He tossed a boomerang at the switch and deactivated the electricity. He could safely drop down, but the door was sealed by a code terminal. Using his Remote Hacking Device, he decoded ‘Edutainment’ and unlocked the door.

_“Students of James Woods, tonight’s internal entertainment is brought to you by Affright Industries, sponsored in part by the Holiday Corporation! Stay tuned and we can begin the REAL show!”_

“It sounds like Holiday…” Nolan said. He followed the amplified voice down the hall and found the entrance to the auditorium. Crystal suddenly called him on his wristwatch.

_“Nolan, I’ve arrived at Sector V’s treehouse. I just checked Haruka’s room, but she wasn’t there. And it doesn’t seem like she’s in the living room, either. I’m… a little afraid to go in there. Chris and Sheila are tearing the place apart, and I fear I may be a bit under their level.”_

“There’s a chance that Affright might have kidnapped her already. I know that Caesar Clown works for the Brotherhood now, so he may have told them about Haruka’s power.”

_“Oh, dear… you don’t suppose they-”_

“I hate to think Caesar would kill his own family. Hopefully, she’s just being held captive somewhere. Search Haruka’s house just in case, but if she isn’t there, come to G.U.N. H.Q.. I’ll meet you there after I rescue Dillon.”

_“Gotcha. Be careful out there, Nolan.”_

The doors to the auditorium were locked, so Nolan grappled up to a ceiling vent. He made his way through the vents over the auditorium and had a clear view of the situation: Holiday was talking on the stage and 20 thugs were watching over the toxin-induced kids tied to chairs. Among them were Dillon, Maddy, and Zach. Holiday was wearing a Dracula costume with a pumpkin hat. Nolan studied them with Detective Vision. “Carol, tell Vanellope that none of the guards have guns and to wait for my signal before attacking.”

_“Okay! I bet she’s excited already.”_

“You kids ALL mocked me because I only attacked on certain days!” Holiday continued as Nolan maneuvered through the vents. “You all called me predictable! But now that Halloween is 24/7, there is NOTHING to hold me back! You’ll all witness the power that is Brett Jubilee!” Nolan dropped onto the walkway above the stage, directly above the villain. “Mark my words, you’ll-”

Nolan CRUSHED Holiday beneath his boots, taking him down. The minions looked his direction with fright, but Vanellope jumped out of Dillon’s communicator, zipped around, and kicked them all. “There you are, Dad, I thought you were gonna miss the party!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Nolan leapt down and started punching left and right. He punched one into the air while Vanellope leapt and kicked him away, and after landing, she zipped by another thug and knocked him down. Nolan dealt him a Ground Takedown, then performed a backflip onto another thug to take him down, too.

“Hey, you’re not using your wheelchair!” Vanellope beamed, doing a Lickety Split Kick on a thug before he fell. “I told you eating your vegetables would help!”

Nolan smashed another guy’s face into a fire extinguisher case, then performed a quick spin-kick against a thug’s head. A thug ran up to try and cut him with a knife, but Nolan swiftly dodged his swings, grabbed his arm, and twisted it. With his blood pumping, Nolan flipped and flew around the room, KOing every last thug that remained. Only one was left, so Nolan threw him into the air, and Vanellope glitched below for a midair Lickety Kick before letting him drop defeated.

“DAD!” Vanellope screamed, too late to help him as Nolan was crushed under a giant jack-o’-lantern.

“Well, hi there, Sandman!” Holiday strolled up in a jaunty fashion. “You’re just in time! Did I tell you I got a new power? That Caesar guy made me something called a Holi-Holi Fruit. It’s a Magic-type Devil Fruit that lets me create decorations based on the current holiday. I think he said it was in the ‘Nen’ class. I know, science is weird. But it sure helps!”

“HYAH!” Vanellope leapt at him, but Holiday formed a pumpkin around himself to use as a shield. He made the pumpkin explode and blow her back.

“Don’t look so down! You’re the guest of honor, Sandman.” Holiday walked up and pulled his gas mask off. “Or should I say… Darth FERIOR!” Holiday threw a small jack-o’-lantern at his face, exploding into Fear Gas.

“AAAAAaaaahhh…!” It felt as if the very world had molded into the inside of a lava lamp. Colorful goblets of goo rose and sunk. One of them molded into a disfigured form of Chris Uno, stirring something brown. A disfigured Maddy Murphy formed beside him.

_“Chriiiiiiiiiis . . . what are you **dooooooooiiiiiiinnng…?”**_

_“Maaaaakiiiiing choooocolaaaaate puuuuuuddiiiiiing…”_

_“Ohhh, Chriiiiiis, you sexy maaaaaan…”_ Maddy hugged Chris and they molded into a yellow worm that began jiggling vertically. More worms appeared in a line along with it, then more rows appeared. Some rows were yellow and the others were blue. Those rows all squeezed into their respective colors and turned round: the blue on the left and the yellow on the right. They became mismatched eyes. They were Nolan’s eyes.

The man pushed up and forced the giant pumpkin off him. Grinning maniacally, he studied his gloved hands and muscular physique. “Boy, that toxin was AMAZING! Ah, and it feels so GOOD to be in control again!”

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Holiday began to untie Dillon, bringing him to Sandman. It also seemed the auditorium turned into an amusement park with a pumpkin-orange sky. “Watch with utter terror as the heroic Nolan York, former Numbuh 2030, **murders** his own son out of cold-blooded fear.” He untied and kicked Dillon forward.

“Well, I did promise to straighten him out.” Nolan shrugged, approaching Dillon with malice.

“Nnnngh! No! Vanellope! Not Vanellope! Please!” Dillon squirmed on the floor.

Nolan raised his hand, about to channel psychic, but the hero inside him restrained himself. “Do not… kill…”

“Oh, don’t get started with that.” Revan stated. “In case you forgot, YOU KILLED ME. IN COLD BLOOD. This is payback, Nolan, now KILL THE STUPID BOY!”

“No! Agh… NO!” Nolan flipped over Dillon and PUNCHED Holiday across the floor.

“So, it wasn’t enough toxin.” Holiday said, helping himself up. “But you’re changing, I can feel it. Perhaps it’ll kick in after I beat some sense into you!” He materialized a giant skeleton that raised him skyward, followed by four giant jacks that rotated around the chest. “Enguarde, Lord Ferior! Today, I finally meet our true master!”

 

_Boss fight: Holiday_

Nolan dodged the first giant jack-o’-lantern and threw boomerangs up at Holiday, but he easily blocked them with the other jacks. They rotated some more before one flew down again. Nolan flipped back, then grabbed the giant pumpkin as it lifted him off the ground. He sprayed as much Explosive Gel on the pumpkin as he could before it shook him off. When the pumpkins went back to rotating, he waited for the front of the aforementioned pumpkin to get behind the giant skeleton, then he set the gel off and blew up the skeleton’s spine.

“AAAAH!” Holiday fell from his perch, and Nolan quickly grappled him over for a Haki-imbued beatdown. Holiday blew up another pumpkin and forced Nolan off, then he created another skeleton to raise him high. This time, a cloud of bats surrounded the villain and groups of them would swoop down and nip Nolan in the face. “How’s THAT for irony, Thinks-He’s-Batman?!”

“Ergh! These bats are made of supernatural energy. But if they behave like real bats…” Nolan fired his Shock Rod up at the swarm and zapped multiple ones via connected beams. Nolan repeated the attack until the bats were forced to scatter, and Holiday had been zapped with them. During his weak moment, Nolan tossed a boomerang to knock him off the skeleton, then he ran up to lay the beatdown.

Holiday created some pumpkin armor to protect himself, along with Dracula teeth over his knuckles to draw blood out of Nolan with each punch. “Say, Nolan, how are you walking right now, anyway? I’m sure your legs must be sore as the dickens!” He punched at Nolan’s leg, but he jumped back. Nolan dove forward and grabbed both of Holiday’s arms, forcing the Dracula-toothed knuckles into their owner’s face. “AAAH!”

Nolan flipped overhead and sprayed Explosive Gel on the back of his armor. He flipped back when Holiday whipped around with a punch, then exploded the armor. Holiday fell on his front, so Sandman hopped on his back and pounded his face against the floor. “AAUGH!” Holiday formed three man-sized jack-o’-lanterns and crushed Nolan between them. He willed the pumpkins to levitate with the hero, allowing Holiday to stand.

“There’s only one escape, ‘Hero’! And it won’t be through brute force!”

Nolan BURST with psychic energy and blew the pumpkins off. He flew down to Holiday and grabbed the villain’s neck in both hands. “This man threatened your son, Nolan.” Revan Bane hissed. “He deserves to DIE for his sins. You’ve killed before, Nolan, why not kill again, be rid of another foul villain!”

 _“Aaaaack…aaauuuuck. . . .”_ Holiday’s bleeding face turned blue.

“…” Nolan shut his eyes and kicked Holiday down. When he reopened, the amusement park landscape was gone, and they were back in the auditorium. “Cough…hack…” Holiday rubbed his neck. “Damn you, Affright… killing me wasn’t part of the plan.”

Nolan grabbed him by the chest and yanked him up. “ _What_ plan? What did Affright do to me?!”

“You have his eyes…” Holiday spoke hoarsely through his grin. “It’s only a matter of time.”

With one more punch to the skull, Holiday was knocked out. Nolan looked to see Vanellope untie Maddy and Zach. “I had to knock them out ’cause they were a bit crazy. Well, crazier. …You looked different for a moment, Dad.”

“I’m fine, Vanellope.” Nolan went to get his mask and place it back on.

“VANELLOPE!” Dillon attacked his father. “Leave her alone! Don’t you dare!”

Nolan sprayed gas from his glove into Dillon’s face to put him to sleep. “I’ll carry Holiday and Dillon. Midna, use your creepy hair to carry Maddy and Zach.”

“You can’t talk to the camera!!” Midna shouted.

“DO IT.”

“Uuuugh!” Midna floated over and used her twin ponytails to grab the Murphy twins. Nolan propped Holiday over his shoulder and dragged Dillon by the arm. Vanellope glitched into Nolan’s wristwatch.

They exited the auditorium door and Nolan summoned the Sandmobile. He strapped Holiday to a chair in the back and set the kids in the passenger seats in front. With that, Nolan began the speedy drive out of town, heading into the darkness of a forest. He spared a glance to his son, squirming in his seat. He still remembered their exciting Halloween three years ago, when Dillon still admired him. His son had grown less dependent on Nolan… but Dillon still needed him.

“This is Sandman to G.U.N. H.Q.. I’m bringing a captured villain and some operatives to your base.”

_“Sandman? …Y-Yessir. Alright, you’re granted entry.”_

The Sandmobile passed through an invisible blue force-field, revealing the fortress in the middle of the woods. Nolan steered toward the left as a hatch opened in the side, bringing Nolan down a slope to the basement. He came to a park outside a door labeled _Prison Wing_ , climbed out, and grabbed Holiday out of the back.

The villain was fit with a shock collar and pushed into a force-field cell. “Throwing me in here don’t change a thing, Nolan. Affright will win and I’ll be out of here before the night is over.”

“By the time this night is over, this cell will be full.” Nolan assured.

“Then it’s a bet.” The villain smirked.

A soldier approached Nolan and saluted. “Sir: the Commander would like to see you in the Communications Room. Also, Ms. Wickens is there, too.”

Nolan followed the soldier upstairs, and Crystal was eager to meet him outside the room in question. “Nolan, you made it! I’m sorry, but Haruka wasn’t at her house, either.”

“Don’t worry, Crystal. We’ll find her.”

“I know, but… w-wait a minute. How are you walking?”

“I… used the Formula Q.”

“What?! I thought you’d gotten rid of the stuff!”

“I kept it in case of emergencies. Don’t worry, I had Haruka make adjustments to it a while ago.”

“Sigh… your wife’s going to kill you.”

“Better her than Affright.”

The two entered the control room. Commander Gunkan overlooked his officers at their computer desks. They were viewing the large screen on the opposite wall: at Sector MG, Oliver was trying to blast spells at Phil’s mouse form and Romeo was setting the place on fire. The screen switched to Sector IC, where Miyuki was cutting herself and Lola was sucking on her blood.

“I can’t believe Affright was able to bring down the Kids Next Door in a single night.” Gunkan said.

“We’re still here, Brett.” Nolan stated. “We can save them.”

“But what about the Galactic Kids Next Door? There’s no way Affright could have gotten to them.”

“I really don’t know. We’ll just have to work with what we’ve got for now. Can you bring up an image of Affright?”

“You heard him, men.”

“SHYAH!” Revan SLICED Gunkan’s head off with his lightsaber. “Take THAT, you mismatched-eyed son of a bitch!”

“There.” Gunkan’s head said on his control pad when Affright’s image came up.

Nolan rubbed his eyes so that Gunkan would change back to normal. “Ahem… Horror’s Hand. That’s what Affright’s wearing on his hand.”

“According to the data, Horror’s Hand is an ancient artifact that used to be the left hand of King Darkrai the First himself. The legend reads that he sealed all of his fears into his left hand and chopped it off, so that he could never be afraid of anything. That left hand was hidden in the Underworld… that is, until Affright found it.” Brett added.

“The Underworld… I wonder if the Grim Reaper knew anything about it.”

“But the Grim Reaper is dead. Er, I mean he was already DEAD, but now he’s… er… what happened to him, exactly?”

“Well, that thought aside, I can think of someone who _would_ know: Mandy McKenzie.”

“The Pirate Emperor? Nolan, you can’t possibly mean to speak with her. The Four Emperors are some of the biggest names in the criminal empire. They control hundreds of towns and even small nations! And ever since the World Leaders’ fall, their numbers have been growing. Going to Mandy would be suicide.”

“Why not? We used to be friends. Well, sort of. And frankly, she would be a valuable ally to have, given the circumstances.”

“Well… you aren’t wrong. But how will you convince her to lend us her aid? Hell, I’M not convinced.”

“I’ll find a way. I can be pretty persuasive. He taught me that much.”

“Who?”

“Re-…W-Wesley Dodds.”

“Mmm… Well, if you insist on going, you should take the Chi-blocking Gauntlets from my office. That way, she couldn’t affect you with her Logia bending. Then again, chi-blocks don’t seem to be helping the operatives, either.” Brett viewed a camera on his terminal, showing Dillon, Zach, and Maddy inside their own cell.

“Affright’s Nightmare Toxin wasn’t made with bending.” Nolan said. “But Chi-blocking Gauntlets could help. By the way, I’m going to need to borrow your network.”

“On it!” Vanellope jumped out of his watch and into Gunkan’s computer.

“H-Hey!” Gunkan yelled.

 _“I’m into GUN’s network!”_ Carol said.

“Excellent. Use their satellites to locate Mandy’s pirate fleet.”

“W-Wait a sec’!” Gunkan protested. “If you wanted us to find her fleet, you could’ve just asked!”

“These two will get things done a lot more quickly. Besides, if the Brotherhood does something to jam your network, they’ll be able to help.”

“B-But…”

“Thank you, Commander. Start sending your soldiers to the treehouses and rescue every operative you can.” Nolan left the room on that note. Crystal grinned sheepishly at Gunkan and followed. Brett sighed.

**? Who could forget this monstrous man who once tried destroying Ocean Land? ?**

Nolan entered Brett’s office and saw the gauntlets on his desk. There was also a glass display with crystals inside. He recognized them as Rourke’s remains and snapped a picture to solve the Riddle. As Nolan approached the desk, the chair swerved around and revealed Revan sitting in it. “You know, chi-blocks won’t prevent me from taking over. I’m already inside you, Nolan. _Deeeeeep insiiiiiide…”_

Nolan ignored him and took off his gloves, fitting the Chi-block Gauntlets on. They were a blackish-blue and the symbols on the palms were white.

**You got _Chi-block Gauntlets_! These can stop the powers of element bending enemies for a time. Only by contact of the palms can you do so.**

**Quahog, Rhode Island**

Nolan and Crystal returned to Quahog to fight more monsters on the rooftops, and they used the Sandmobile to blast the ones on the ground. Still waiting for Carol to report with Mandy’s location, they decided to explore town and search for Riddles. There was one in an alleyway where Crystal had to use her staff to light all the torches with fire (in a certain order). There was a switch in a restaurant that triggered eight Green Coins to appear around the room, and collecting them in five seconds would open the trophy cage. There were a couple trophy cages that seemed to be connected to graffiti markings, such as an “M”, but they had nothing to get those, yet.

“There’s nothing scientific about half these puzzles.” Crystal stated, the two perched on a roof. “Riddler must be hiring wizards to design them. ’Guess he’s not as smart as he thought.”

“Yeah, he… hey.” Nolan heard the jaunty tune of an ice cream truck. He looked down at the street to see a truck park beside an excited boy in a Cheren Uno costume. Suddenly, a buff Ice Cream Man grabbed the boy, tossed him in the back, and drove away. “That’s a Brotherhood Ice Cream Man! Let’s get him!” The two flew down to the colorful truck, which continued playing its alluring music.

The truck drove at a slow enough speed to where the heroes could catch up and land on the roof. Nolan got above the driver’s seat, reached in, and yanked the driver out. The car crashed against a building and Nolan punched the culprit senseless. With that, Crystal climbed down and opened the trunk, helping the dizzy boy off. “You could have parked better.” Crystal told Nolan.

“Hey, kid, are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah… sigh, that’s the last time I skip school for early trick-or-treating.”

“I like your Cheren outfit.” Crystal chuckled.

“Ya do? Hehe, I’m a big fan of him!”

“We are, too.” Nolan said. “But you should get home. The streets are swarming with monsters.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But, the Kids Next Door are gonna beat all the monsters, right?”

“Of course they will, don’t worry.”

Nolan’s wristwatch rang, and Carol displayed on the holographic screen. _“Guess what, Mr. York! We found Mandy’s fleet! They’re in the Gulf of Mexico, close to a town called Port Rivera. Apparently, they control the town.”_

“Then it’s time to set sail. Crystal, take that kid back home.”

“Aren’t I coming with you?”

“I want you to stay here and help GUN manage this town. If something happens, call me immediately. Besides, Mandy might be a little too dangerous for you.”

“And not you?”

“She has a soft spot for old acquaintances. She’s just too proud to show it.”

“Sigh, you worry me sometimes, Nolan, you know that. Alright, then. Call me soon.” With that, the witch let the boy onto her staff and lifted off.

“Holy crud, you’re a real WIIIIITCH!” the boy cried as they sped off.

_Side Quest: Ice Cream Kidnappers: Rescue children that have been captured by rogue Ice Cream Trucks._

Nolan summoned the Sandmobile and hopped into his seat. He switched into Sandwing Mode and went skyward as well, leaving Quahog behind. “Next stop: Mandy’s Fleet.”


	3. Dancing With a Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolan York infiltrates Lord Mandy's fleet to have a talk with her. Along the way, he meets an old apprentice.

**Kind of got a short chapter today, mostly to serve as a transitional. It does have a couple foreshadows. Play “Night of the Cursed” from _Kingdom Hearts II_.**

****

**_

Chapter 3: Dancing With a Queen

_**

****

**Boogey Fleet; near Port Rivera**

A fleet of dark pirate ships roamed the seas of this small port town. The buildings were situated up a hill, though the telephone wires seemed much taller than them. Sandman watched from the highest building as demon pirates fought with Affright’s Nightmares, with both sides turning into either darkness or Star Dust. “Mandy’s pirates are trying to protect the town. The people must be hiding in their homes.”

 _“That’s honestly kind of noble of them.”_ Carol replied. _“I hope they’ll be okay…”_

“They’ll be fine. Demons are immortal, after all. Which is good, because that means I won’t break the no-killing rule.”

“So, the real reason we’re here is to fuel the lust.” Revan remarked.

“If I’m going to attempt to get the jump on her, I’ll need to be sneakier than usual, or the whole crew will gun me down.”

_“I thought you said Mandy was an old friend.”_

“She is… but she doesn’t like having company over.”

Nolan glided across the town and hid behind a pile of barrels on the beach. There was a pirate ship parked near the shore and two Bulblin with sniper rifles watching it. Nolan tossed his Remote Boomerang and had it fly above and past the Bulblins, hitting a hanging lantern as it crashed onto the deck. “Huh?!” The Bulblins whipped around and found the fire spreading. “What the heck?! Put it out, quickly!”

The two scrambled to fill buckets of water and put out the flames, all the while Sandman grappled and hung onto the railing of the ship. After they doused the fire, Sandman snuck up, grabbed both their heads, and slammed them together. With that, he grappled up above the sail and to the crow’s nest for a better view of the fleet. _“Hey, Mr. York, if the Sandmobile can fly, couldn’t it go underwater, too?”_

“Of course. But the seas are infested with monsters. Not safe for an underwater ambush.” Sandman observed the next ship, which had two Bokoblin sitting and eating sandwiches on the topsail. Nolan glided to the lower beam of the sail and quietly sidled across. The Moblin patrolling below were oblivious to his presence. Once across the beam, he could see inside the back window of another ship close to this one. Some Miniblin were talking to each other in the window, but not facing Sandman, he could safely glide down and grab on a ledge under the window.

Some demons were talking to a teenage Japanese girl in a light-brown school uniform inside the window. “Slow down a minute! Who said we would let you stay on this ship?!”

“‘I was assigned to this vessel for an important project,’ says Misaka for about the umpteenth time.”

“We never agreed to any project!”

“‘Mandy was already briefed and paid to allow us to conduct the project,’ says Misaka, not wishing to discuss this any further. She also recommends you to ready your troops and make sure they are at their peak by the time the project will commence.”

Paying the conversation no mind, Nolan kept climbing across. The ledge ended under a Bokoblin that was leaning on the railing and smoking. Since no one else was on the deck, Nolan simply grabbed and threw the demon into the water, letting him drown. He didn’t detect any more demons on the deck, so he decided to climb on. The flagship was not too far off. _“Hey, Mr. York, do you think Mandy likes trick-or-treating?”_ Carol asked.

“I heard. But she’s a little too famous now to-”

Four female ninjas poofed into existence, two of them grabbing Nolan by the arms while the other two aimed katana at him. “INTRUDER! You shall not take a step closer to Lord Mandy’s cabin!”

“Ninjas?! But how did you hide from my Detective Vision?”

“We have trained to conceal our aura and become spiritually invisible. Whatever your ‘Detective Vision’ is, it is useless against us! Prepare to face judgment in the name of the Demon’s Head!” The ninja raised her sword-

A shorter ninja with sky-blue hair in two pigtails flew in and KICKED her away. This interloper landed on her feet, her bright blue eyes glaring sharply at her opponents. Her outfit had blue sleeves and leggings, while the chest and her mask was white with a red eye symbol. Based on the ninja’s slender physique, she was no doubt female. In the ninjas’ distraction, Nolan fell back and bashed the two holding him together.

Four more ninjas leapt in, so now five ninjas were attacking them. Nolan spared a glance at his strange ally before grabbing a ninja’s sword and bumping the hilt against her face, then punching her away. A ninja leapt to impale the stranger, but her sword bent the moment it made contact with their body, then the stranger leapt, sat on the ninja’s shoulders, and stabbed her head with a rubber knife to knock her out. Two ninjas swung at her from either side, but the stranger vanished in a blink and reappeared behind the left ninja, slitting her throat.

A ninja used Armament Haki and struck at Nolan, but he used his own Haki to grab the sword and struggle. The stranger flipped behind the ninja and slit her throat with the rubber knife. The last ninja carefully backed away, her sword raised in defense. The stranger threw something on the deck and made a big FLASH, stunning the ninja as Nolan laid a beatdown and knocked her out.

The stranger got behind Nolan and held the knife to his neck. “The Sheikah Tribe has been watching you for a long time… Sandman-san.”

Nolan calmly turned and looked down at the young ninja. “I thought I recognized your outfit. It’s from the _Zelda_ games… right, Nagisa?”

“Hee hee hee!” The boy pulled off his mask, grinning and raising two fingers. “Yeah, but this one came from that new Hyrule planet!”

“Nagisa, what are you doing here? I saw your sector. They were poisoned by the Fear Toxin.”

“I know… but I’ve been on a week-long mission trying to infiltrate the Boogey Pirate fleet. I suspected Lord Mandy would be planning something on Halloween and I wanted to find out what. I didn’t expect all this stuff with Affright to happen. Only Morgiana is still safe, but I had her go to my apartment and protect my mom.”

“GUN is currently working to rescue the KND operatives from the poisoned sectors. But you should have stayed at home, too. You should know better than to spy on someone like Mandy.”

“What, like you’re any different? I doubt you’re here on a casual visit.”

“I’m here to pump Mandy for information on Horror’s Hand, and hopefully enlist her help in stopping Affright.”

“Great, then I’ll help you! It shouldn’t be that hard, because none of Mandy’s Division Commanders are around. It’ll just be her and a few cronies.”

“Alright, you can come. But stay close to me. I have a plan.” Nolan grabbed onto Nagisa and grappled up to the crow’s nest. Revan was sitting atop the mast.

“Say, who is this kid, Nolan? Is he the second Robin after your first boy became Nightwing? You sure seem to think of him that way. Especially considering his own father left him. You know, it’s rude to snatch up any random bastard you meet. …Especially if you throw them off a balcony.”

“If we can just pass these two ships, we can get to the _Boogey Coast_. I can Line Launch us to the crow’s nests, but those snipers are in the way.”

“No problem! I can sneak up on them with my Moon Walk. This suit makes my footsteps as soft as air. He’ll never see or hear it coming!” So with that, Nagisa began hopping across the air via Moon Walks. His feet didn’t make a sound, and the Bulblin sniper was blissfully minding his business. Nagisa landed behind the unaware Bulblin, positioned his fingers, wrapped an arm around his mouth, and stabbed the Bulblin in the neck with Finger Pistol. The demon died silently. Nagisa waved his arms, gesturing Sandman to use his Line Launcher to zip over.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Relax, I know that demons don’t really die. They just poof into darkness and go back to the Underworld.” The Bulblin poofed into darkness. “See?”

The next ship had a taller mast with two crow’s nests, both with snipers. Nagisa used Moon Walk to get high enough and make his way over to the top nest. He killed the top Bulblin, then dropped down to kill the lower Bulblin. Sandman Line Launched over. “Good. Now, we just need to get inside Mandy’s cabin.”

**? This Pirate Queen would sure be mean, if she didn’t celebrate Halloween! ?**

Nagisa used binoculars to survey the _Boogey Coast_. “Kargaroks surrounding the crow’s nests. Snipers too, of course. A Fatblin is guarding the cabin. And the deck is being patrolled by Darknuts.”

“We’ll never be able to beat them with normal stealth tactics. But if we can just get ahold of Mandy, she can keep them from slaughtering us.”

“Eh-!” Nagisa’s heart skipped. “Do you really think… it’ll be that easy?”

“She’s more reasonable than you think she is. I’m sure I can strike a bargain with her. Any idea how we can get in?”

Nagisa tapped a finger to his mask, where his chin was. “What if… instead, we made Mandy come out? If I used my Tempest Kick from here, I could cut the mast and make it fall over. If she walks out and sees what happened, you can fly down and grab her with those Chi-block Gauntlets.”

“She won’t appreciate someone wrecking her ship.”

“You said she’s reasonable!”

“More reasonable to some than others. But on the bright side, she doesn’t kill. She only leaves scars. Real ones and mental ones.”

“Well, my mother prepared me for this, I guess. Time to be a man and commit property damage.” With that, Nagisa positioned his leg horizontally, channeled his chi, and slashed a slim, long airwave. The Tempest Kick cleaved the distant mast almost all the way through. It creaked, toppled over, and… crushed Mandy’s cabin. (End song.)

“. . .” Nolan and Nagisa froze with shock.

“. . .” The Fatblin guard was frozen in fear. The mast missed him by a few inches. “Uh-oh.”

The shattered cabin EXPLODED and a body of fear and hatred emerged. The Pirate Emperor cleaved her overweight guard in two, a crimson aura surrounding her body. _“I was in the middle of_ Super Smash Bros. Universe _. . .”_ She spoke with the grimmest of tones. _“Now, I’ll be banned from the Wi-Fi for 30 hours. . . So, tell me… whose cruddy idea was **THIIIIIIIS?!?”**_ Bursting with fear, all the Darknuts onboard fell on the deck and rolled around in their armor, the Kargaroks dropped into the sea, and the sea monsters created waves that stirred the ships around. (Play “The Thieving Magpie” from _Batman: Arkham Origins_.)

The Sandman swooped in like a bat in the night, landing with grace and grabbing Lord Mandy with a twirl. Nagisa stylishly landed behind her and held the knife to her neck. “Nolan York…” Mandy recognized. “This is awfully rude.”

“Tell me about it!” Revan shouted. “Dude’s cheating on his wife now!”

“Do you know anything about Horror’s Hand?” Nolan asked, keeping a firm grasp on her arms.

“You mean that gross thing Affright strutted?” Behind Nolan, a Darknut ran up with his sword raised, but the hero whipped around and batted him off the edge with Mandy’s legs. Nagisa flipped away and put his back to Nolan. “Well, yes. When we were young, Grim took Billy and I on a voyage to find Horror’s Hand. It was the very same day that I stole this crew from the Boogeyman. He tried to take Horror’s Hand, but if you wonder how that turned out, well look above you.”

She indicated the shuddering Boogey tied below the fallen crow’s nest. Another Darknut ran up, but Nagisa flipped, yanked its helmet off with his feet, then stabbed the head with his Antikill knife. “Grim stored the hand in his trunk for protection, but after you Kids Next Door put me on your wanted list, I decided to start my pirating career.”

A Darknut ran up behind Nolan again, but he hauled Mandy overhead and used her legs to smash his armor. He then flipped over himself, so they were back on their feet. “I needed money, so I stole Grim’s trunk and sold the contents to various underworld brokers. But I kept Horror’s Hand to myself because I wanted to make myself a Logia. But when I was done, I decided to sell it, too. I held it up at an intergalactic auction and sold to the highest bidder. And the winning bid was Taneleer Tivan, for a whole two billion dollars.”

Three Moblin ran up, but Nolan spun around and knocked them all away with Mandy’s own strength. “And now Affright has it. If you had just kept it yourself or let Grim keep it, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Which is why you’re gonna help me fight him.”

“I don’t think so. I have no quarrel with Affright.”

Two Bulblin on the other mast’s sail locked guns on Nolan, but Nagisa jumped in the way, defended with Iron Body, then swung a Tempest Kick to knock them down. “The world is in danger! Your FAMILY is in danger! If you became a Logia thanks to Horror’s Hand, then you’re the only one who can-”

“You’re wrong.” More ships were sailing over. “I tried to become a Logia with Horror’s Hand… but I couldn’t. I simply followed the Dark Side of my element, asserting my fear over others and injecting myself with Fear Toxin.” Bands of Bokoblin and Moblin swung onto the deck. “I didn’t follow the Light Side… because I could never conquer my greatest fear…”

All the demons ran up, but Nolan swung Mandy into some, then used her as a base to swing into others, and again, and again, and again, and again, knocking each one out or off the deck! Then, Nolan leapt into the air, he and his partner spinning like a wheel, before he SMASHED her to the deck and kept her pinned. (End song.) “You _will_ help, or I will drag you to GUN and make you live your greatest fear myself.”

“If I’m captured, my crew is ordered to destroy each and every town they cross until I am freed.”

“We’ll stop them. And you will be trapped in a cell, alone. _Vulnerable_.”

“Sigh… you’re annoying.” Mandy used a small bit of strength to push Nolan off her and get up. “Besides, you could never take me in a fight. Marine and her daughter are the only two that might have a shot with me, and you’re nowhere near their level.”

“If I have to bring them to beat some sense into you, I will.”

“ _Please_. Alright, Nolan, let’s say that I’m generous enough to help. I won’t do it for free. It’s only fair that you do something for me first. And since you destroyed my cabin, you’re hardly in a position to argue.”

“What do you want?”

“I’ve been sensing treachery amongst the crew. I feel as if some of them are plotting behind my back. Ships that don’t provide hourly reports due to ‘complications.’ It might just be paranoia, but then again, Azula and I have the natural instinct. So, since you and that boy are master spies, why don’t you investigate my ships and see if you find any suspicious activity? Of course, my crewmen will still be ordered to attack you. If they knew you were assigned by me, the traitors would only be more alert.”

“And if I do, exactly how do you plan to help?”

“I may or may not know the identities of some underworld brokers that may or may not have something to do with Affright’s operation, based on rumors my spies may or may not have overheard.”

“I may or may not have faith in your words.”

“Isn’t that what the entire Kids Next Door said to you, 23 years ago?”

“…Okay. Where do you think I should start?”

“Well, most of the ships I’ve been suspicious of have been sky ships. My, but how will you get up to them?”

Nolan approached the railing and started to summon his Sandwing. Nagisa hurried over beside him. “Hey, so what are we doing?”

Nolan grabbed him. “Jump.”

“Waaah!” They leapt over the fence into monster-infested waters—but instead landed in the comfort of Sandman’s invisible Sandwing. (Play “Protect Jinx” from _Jak 3_!)

**You’ve got the _Cloak Function_ for the Sandmobile! With this, nobody will be able to see justice speeding in! But don’t forget, enemies aren’t that dumb. If you bump into things or shoot bullets, they’ll determine your location eventually.**

“This is awesome!” Nagisa praised. “But how are we supposed to single out any traitors? Even if we _can_ narrow it down to the sky ships…”

“If there’s anything I learned from this job, it’s that grunts love talking out loud.”

The Sandwing took to the sky, unseen by the fleet of Boogey ships. They flew above the highest ships to better survey the area. A voice rang from the ships’ megaphones. _“Sandman, while you’re taking your time sharing drunken shanties with Mandy’s pirates, I hope you haven’t ignored the riddles I’ve laid around her fleet! Why, if this were a YouTube Let’s Play, I would leave negative comments on EVERY video that points out your ignorance to completion.”_

“Ignore him.” Nolan told Nagisa. “Let’s begin with this ship.”

They landed on the crow’s nest and observed a trio of Moblins drinking at a table. “One of them is a Riddler Informant.” Nolan whispered. “Nagisa, you takedown that one, and I’ll get the other one.”

“So, I walk in on Ganon staring at a picture of Zelda,” a Moblin told his friends, “and the first thing he does is-”

Nolan and Nagisa dropped on them, Nolan snapping one’s neck and Nagisa using the Antikill knife on the other. Nolan quickly grabbed the third one by the neck and held him over the edge. “So, you’ve been working for Riddler behind Lord Mandy’s back!”

“N-No, no! I’m with Lord Mandy until the end! I just… wanted the extra money from that Riddler guy.”

“No harm in taking second jobs.” And once Sandman had the Riddle locations, he dropped the Moblin off the edge. He and Nagisa entered the ship’s cabin, finding a bunch of Underworld comic books. They spent a moment searching the ship.

“Well, I can’t find anything suspicious, can you?” Nagisa asked.

“Nothing. Let’s keep looking.”

They returned to the invisible Sandwing and searched more ships. The next one had four Sea Wizzrobes (parrot magicians in white cloaks and blue hoods). Since they floated over the railing, Nagisa could easily Moon Walk up and attack them, while Nolan yanked them over with his grappling hook. Once the Wizzrobes were KO’ed, they entered the cabin and found a bunch of chalk and drawings.

**? Wizzrobes can be fanboys, too; I wonder if they have the same inspirations as you? ?**

Among the chalk drawings was a tiny Batman symbol, so Nolan snapped the picture and solved the riddle. They found nothing else of note, so they searched the next ship, and several more after that. During the venture, they discovered a few Riddles. One ship had a challenge where they had to use cannons to blast three moving “?” balls in the distance. They had six cannonballs for each attempt, lest they had to start again, but they won the trophy all the same.

Inside one cabin, they found a Riddle Cube: the first room required Nagisa to use Moon Walks to go up and hit a switch, opening a cage on a wall, leaving Nolan to grapple hook the trophy. The next room had bullets immediately start bombarding them from the front, with only a shield to protect them. Nagisa used Iron Body while Nolan held him like a shield to get through the bullets and grab the trophy. The last room had a long line of Riddlerbots that would be impossible to beat in 10 seconds, but a quick Tempest Kick from Nagisa took them all out and won them the trophy.

“Not that playing with Riddler isn’t fun,” Nagisa said as they landed on an empty deck, “but we aren’t getting anywhere with this ‘traitor’ business. I’m starting to think Mandy sent us on a wild-”

A phone rang from inside the cabin. “Shhh.” Nolan and Nagisa crept up to the window and peeped inside. (End song.)

A Bokoblin came up from a floor hatch and answered the phone. Sandman could hear the voice on the other end of the phone and transmit it to Nagisa. The voice was dark and crackly: _“Cream puff, chocolate shake, marshmallow…”_

“Swirly, malt, cherry pie.” The Bokoblin finished.

_“Good, it’s you, Bokobean. We received the Baba Seeds. Were there any complications?”_

“Nope, no complications at all. Lord Mandy would never suspect a harmless Bokoblin like me.”

_Nolan and Nagisa raised brows. “Just make sure she stays in the dark. We’re still expecting orders from our other spies, but the ritual is almost complete. By the end of this night, we won’t have to worry about Mandy or any other Yonko again.”_

“Just let me know when it’s finished, because I’m hightailing out of here the first chance I get. ’Til then.” He hung up. “WAAH!” He fell out of his seat when Nolan kicked down the door.

The Sandman grabbed Bokobean by the neck. “So, plotting against Lord Mandy, are we?”

“NO! No, it’s not what you think!”

“I’ll let HER be the judge of that.” Nolan began to march out with him in custody.

“No! No, please! NO!” Nolan strapped the demon onto the Sandwing’s backseat and drove back down to the _Boogey Coast_.

**Mandy’s Brig**

“NNNAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” The Bokoblin was chained to a wall, being mentally tortured by an inescapable nightmare. “WHOA! WHOA! WAAAAAAHHHH!”

“I’m impressed.” Mandy said casually. “You actually managed to find one. I should’ve known… some ships have reported receiving spam phone calls from people who list terms related to sweets. Perhaps this will help me narrow the search down.”

“Tell me what you know.” Nolan stated straightforwardly.

“Always so demanding, aren’t we, Nolan? All right… I only know two things that could help you, but you’re probably pretty good at working with little. First off, when my officer, Rā’s al Ghūl visited an underworld auction, he reported that one of the benefactors, Baron Kelvin Renbourn, mentioned that ‘A man named Affright had business with him.’”

“Kelvin Renbourn, eh? Where does he live?”

“No idea. Sorry.”

 _“Good thing he wasn’t asking you.”_ Carol remarked, her voice only heard by Nolan. _“Looking him up now.”_

“Anyway, Rā’s’ ninjas also overheard a man say, ‘I’ve got to get over to Academy City soon or Affright will kill me.’ He was wearing a thick coat and scarf, according to her description, but she sensed Poison Chi radiating from him.”

Nolan fixed a glare. “Caesar Clown…”

“See? I knew you would figure it out.”

“Well, thanks for the help, Mandy. Come on, Nagisa, let’s go.” They turned to leave the brig.

“Not so fast.” Mandy yanked the boy back by the neck of his jumpsuit. “I still want you to help uncover the traitors in my crew, and piece together what they’re planning. …Also, that Riddle guy kept begging us to let him install puzzles on our ships, and we’d like you to hurry up and solve them so we have the extra space. I’d dismantle them myself, but he’s paying us for every hour they go unsolved, so eh, extra money. And until you do those things, I’ll keep this girl as a hostage.”

“Actually, I’m-” Mandy channeled fear into Nagisa’s mind. “AAAH! NO, MOM, please don’t cut off my dick!” He grabbed his privates.

“I need him to help me stop Affright!” Nolan stated.

“I’m sure you can work my dilemma into your schedule, Nolan. Plus, I can’t just let a little spy go freely.”

“Grrrr… Don’t you even think of hurting him.”

“No worries. I can use him to sniff around for any more clues. But I still expect you to help when you can, Hero.”

_Side Mission: The Tea Party Conspiracy: Uncover the conspiracy within the Boogey Pirates._

Nolan returned to the deck of the vessel and switched on his holo-screen. Carol was dressed like a butler and talked in a British accent. _“Sir, I searched GUN’s files and the regular Internet database, but I’m afraid I found nothing on this Kelvin Renbourn.”_

“Well, we can’t all be Alfreds. I think I’ll head for Academy City instead. If Caesar is there, he could lead me to Affright. Or even Haruka.”

_“Let’s see, Academy City is in Japan, west of Tokyo. According to this, their technology is 30 years ahead of the world. Oooo, just looking at this picture, it looks pretty nice! Still, they got nothing on Coruscant.”_

“Send me the coordinates. And look up any information that could tie the city in with Caesar or Affright’s plans.”

_“With the magic of the Internet, I can make it happen!”_

“Going already, Mr. York?” Nagisa asked, walking out of the cabin. “I feel like you just got here.”

“This job keeps me on the go. But I’ll be back, Nagisa. Just try to hang in there until then.”

“Oh, I will. It’s my team I’m worried about. Hurry up and stop Affright, Mr. York. For them.”

Nolan took off his mask to show his smile and nodded. Afterwards, the hero leapt off the deck and into his Sandmobile, taking off into the night. “For shame, Nolan, for shame…” Revan said, legs crossed in the passenger seat. “Thinking of replacing your own son with Nagisa. I can see why; I mean, he gives you the admiration that Dillon hasn’t given you for years. Sure, you won’t say it out loud, and in your heart, you would never choose Nagisa over Dillon… but I can read even the darkest corners of your mind, Nolan. How you crave admiration… because I love it, too. I can still hear them chanting: ‘Long live The Brain… Long live The Brain…’”

Nagisa frowned, watching the Sandmobile vanish from sight. “That’s weird. Were his eyes always like that?”

 

**If you were expecting something dramatic to happen on a Mandy chapter, well, it’s still too early for that. Best saved until later. Next time, we will introduce the new crossovers as we enter Academy City!**


	4. The Sisters Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nolan arrives at Academy City and must investigate the murder of a girl. Shortly after, he meets a powerful lightningbender named Mikoto Misaka.

**I’ve been excited for this chapter!**

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Chapter 4: The Sisters Project

_**

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**Academy City, Japan**

Academy City certainly felt like a Coruscant on Earth, minus the flying cars, aliens, and about 80% of the technology. A giant blimp loomed over the city with a TV on it. From Sandman’s rooftop view of the vast, futuristic city, he dreaded the unavoidable Riddle Hunt. 

_“Academy City is the most technologically advanced city in Japan and most likely the world.”_ Carol read from an article. _“The goal of its top officials is to keep advancing both its technology and its people. For that reason, they celebrate both metahumans and benders and encourage them to develop their powers. They have a Power Level system of 1-5, with 5 being reserved for the strongest people in the city. However, people who don’t have powers are called Level 0’s.”_

“I can already feel the corruption.” Sandman remarked. “But talking metahumans, this is definitely a town Caesar would love. Can you look up any buildings he may be associated with?”

_“Sorry, nothing comes up. But I’ll keep looking.”_

“Me, too. The local thugs could provide some decent intel.” Sandman took flight and activated his Detective Vision. He already detected some green thugs and swooped down for some old-fashioned interrogation. “Know anything about Caesar?!”

“What?! Caesar Who?!”

“Never mind, just give me some Riddles!”

“O-Okay, sure!”

“Thanksies.” And Sandman punched him senseless.

 _“Verse Number 4: A Person’s Inner Beliefs.”_ Affright’s image displayed on the TVs, including the one on the blimp. _“By watching the Kids Next Door’s savage natures, have you noticed their aggression is targeted toward a specific subject? Some of them love Rainbow Monkeys, yet they rip the stuffing from those toys. Some of them enjoy knowledge, and now they set books to flames. This is because, deep inside their heart, they fear that their hobbies are meaningless. A waste of time in the grand scheme of fate. So, why not destroy those meaningless objects? Why accept that life has any meaning? This is what the Kids Next Door believe. Do you still deem them heroes, noble citizens? Or do you agree with them?”_

 _“Mr. York, you don’t think people are actually buying Affright’s speeches, do you?”_ Carol asked.

“Not everyone. But I’m sure there are some people like Affright who want to give the Kids Next Door a bad name. It’s all gonna come down to which people stay faithful to them in the end.”

 _BOOM!_ Sandman immediately stopped and looked around at the sound of a gunshot. His goggles projected the source of the sound, 50 meters up the street. He called his Sandmobile to make the drive up there a bit quicker, parking beside an alley as the tracker seemed to lead there. He turned left down the dark alley and switched on Detective Vision, spotting a fallen body in the darkness.

When Sandman drew close, he switched back to normal vision. The body was that of a 14-year-old Japanese girl, with chestnut hair and a light-brown school uniform. A gun lay in her dead hand, black goggles covered her eyes, and her legs were arched up. Nolan calmly removed the goggles to see her dull chestnut eyes. “She’s dead…”

_“Oh, dear. That gun… was it a suicide?”_

“I’m going to find out. Initiating Space-Time Detective Mode.” Sandman projected a holographic rectangle around the area. He first zoomed in on the girl’s face. “She’s rather expressionless for someone about to be murdered.” He scanned a round wound in her neck. “This wound certainly looks like it could come from a bullet. But let’s study the gun itself…”

Nolan picked up the small, hi-tech weapon and picked out one of the bullets. It was shaped like a drill. Curious, he forced the bullet against the building on his left. “Incredible…” The bullet had pierced through the fortified structure. “These bullets have the potential to pierce through iron… and this gun seems like it can fire with twice the speed of a normal one.” He set the gun back in her hand. “If she used this on herself, there would be a bullet in the back of her neck. But there isn’t. Furthermore, these bullets are smaller than her neck wound. Yet, there’s no bullet lodged in her throat, and it doesn’t seem like anyone could have pried it out. It could be that she used this gun in self-defense. But if her body was facing this way…”

Nolan backtracked to the corner wall of the alley. He scanned a hole in the wall that seemed to go deep. His Space-Time Vision projected the girl getting up on her feet and a silhouette wielding its own gun. The girl fired, the silhouette dodged as the bullet pierced the wall, then he shot her. “No, that can’t be right. I only heard one gunshot. If it came from _her_ gun, that means the killer didn’t use one. However, this wound… I can only think of one other thing that could make it.” His Space-Time Vision portrayed the killer dodging the bullet, running up, and then slipping behind the girl as he punctured her neck with his own finger. “A Finger Pistol maneuver. One of the Six Powers of Rokushiki.”

 _“Y-You don’t think… CP10 could have…”_ Carol stuttered.

“CP10 was tried for their unjust actions after the Government’s fall and were imprisoned. …Something else isn’t right, either.” Sandman studied the girl’s arched-up legs. His Space-Time Vision played the murder again, but this time the killer was child-sized. “The hole in the building is shorter than the girl’s arm if she were aiming straight.” When the killer got behind the victim, he pulled her back to pierce his finger in her neck, causing her legs to be arched up when she fell. “Whoever the killer is, they’re about a 10-year-old’s height. They also seem to have large hands, judging by the wound. I don’t think anyone in CP10 match the height, but assuming it is them, why would they target this girl? Let’s see if her image comes up in any important databases.” 

“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!” Sandman whipped around. A girl with light-red hair in very curly pigtails and the same uniform as the dead girl was wielding a green badge. “I am Shirai Kuroko of Judgment Branch 177. Explain your business in this alleyway or…or. . . !”

A wave of fear washed over her. Her light-red eyes focused on the dead body behind him. “S…Sissy…” She looked back up at Sandman. “You… **YOU KILLED MY SISSY!!”** Brimming with blue aura, she telekinetically grabbed the garbage cans and threw them at Sandman, who dodged. She then teleported a chunk of a waterspout behind him and tried to stab him, but Nolan dodged again. “AAAAAAHH!” The girl warped above him and tried to stomp the man, but Nolan jumped back and grabbed her by the arms in his Chi-block Gauntlets.

“Listen to me! I didn’t kill your sister, I just found her-!”

“LET ME GO! AGH!” Kuroko struggled. “Why can’t I teleport?! SOMEONE HELP!! MURDERER! HE KILLED MISAKA! HE KILLED MY PRECIOUS-!”

Sandman squirted knock-out gas in her face, the crying girl falling limp in his arms. “Put Kuroko down!” An electric surge lit up the alley. A new girl had arrived, wearing a black hat, black T-shirt with the word _Spark_ , and short brown shorts with black sneakers. Her hat shading her eyes, she aimed an electrical finger at Sandman, an electric aura surrounding her body.

Sandman calmly set Kuroko on the ground and stood up fully. The girl grit her teeth and blasted a lightning bolt, Sandman blocking with his Chi Gauntlet and suffering no damage. He ran up to try and grab her, but the girl threw her hat, distracting him for a brief moment as she flipped behind and zapped another bolt, only to miss. Nolan could see the fury in her chestnut eyes, her same-colored hair moving in the electric.

“…” Nolan glanced at the dead body and back at her. “You look just like that girl…”

“Did you murder my sister?! Did you set up this experiment?!”

“No! I only just arrived in this city, I heard a gunshot, and I found this body when I came to investigate.”

“Then who are you?”

“I’m Sandman. I’m on a mission to stop a villain called Affright.”

“Affright?” Her lightning died down. “You mean… that man who keeps appearing on the TVs?”

“Yes, and I received a lead that brought me to this city. …But it looks like I’ll be investigating a murder.”

The statement seemed to surprise her. “What? But you don’t have anything to do with this, do you?”

“I can’t just let a murderer run loose. You should take your other sister someplace safe. I promise I’ll find whoever did this.”

“You won’t be able to!”

“And why not?”

“Because…” Misaka looked down. “Because I think I already know…” Her voice fell quiet. Sandman cocked a brow. Misaka shook her head and stated, “Wait, why am I telling a stranger like you?! Just leave this to me, okay? You focus on your own mission.”

“For all I know, you can be in danger, too. I can’t just ignore this. If you know who could be behind this, you have to tell me.”

“Grrrr! Fine! You wanna know what this is?! It’s a mass murder project!”

“Did someone say MURDER?!” hissed a high-pitched voice. They both looked up, finding a lizard Nightmare with a human face crawling down the building. “I smell BLOOOOOD! I likes blood! I likes it in my BELLY!” He lashed a vacuum tongue down at the girl’s sister, but Sandman grabbed it, pulled him down, and beat the monster senseless.

“Let’s continue this discussion in the Sandmobile. Grab Kuroko.”

“H-Hold on a minute! What if this is a trap, how do I know I can trust you?!”

Nolan took off his mask and looked her in the eye. “I can only give you my word…”

“…Sigh, well I could at least get some information out of you.” She mumbled. The girl lifted her friend while Sandman carried the corpse. She followed him outside to the Sandmobile, where he laid the body in the trunk strap. He then lifted Kuroko into the backseat and invited his guest to sit in the passenger seat.

“Ow!” The girl sat on Revan. “Darn it, Nolan, another side mission?! You can’t just go around helping people all night, you need to learn how to prioritize! Heck, I’m only gonna commit 10 times the crimes you solve.”

“No one should disturb us in here.” Nolan said, driving leisurely around the city. “You can start explaining now.”

“Sigh… It’s kind of a long story.”

“I bet I know longer stories.”

“Man, you’re pushy. Okay, where do I start… Well, my name is Mikoto Misaka. A few years ago, I signed up for a program where I hand over pieces of my DNA. The doctors said they wanted to use the Lightning Chi in my DNA to create cures for disease. But one day, I found out why they really wanted it: they wanted to make clones.”

“Clones? Then, that girl in the back…”

“Is one of my 20,000 clones.”

“Twenty-thousand?! But… why?”

“It’s called the Sisters Project. The strongest person in our city is a metahuman called Accelerator. The top officials take pride in breeding powerful benders or metahumans, so they wanted to make him stronger. But no one could challenge him. So, they made clones of me, the 3rd-strongest person. They would be put into various combat scenarios, each learning from the others and stronger than the last. And if Accelerator could defeat every single one, he would become the first ‘Level 6.’”

“But this Accelerator… was he assigned to kill you, too?”

“No. Only my sisters. Look, I know what you’re thinking: ‘they’re just clones, so I shouldn’t care too much.’ But-”

“But they’re like sisters to you. They have hearts and souls like real people. And you want to save them.”

“Y…Yeah. How’d you know I was gonna say that?”

“I can sorta relate.”

 _“Aww, you’re thinking of Vanellope!”_ Carol cooed.

Misaka cracked a light smile. “Well, anyway, I learned about all this about a year ago. Accelerator had killed half of my sisters. Despite all my hard work, I couldn’t stop the project. So, I decided to confront him.”

_“I’m NOT going to let you hurt her!” vowed Misaka, shielding her sister from him. “You’ll have to get through me first!”_

_“I don’t have time for this, you little brat.” Accelerator stated. He was a white-haired boy of 15, wearing a black- and white-striped shirt, blue jeans, and a vicious glare. “Move out of the way or I’ll blow through you both.”_

_Misaka brimmed with lightning and readied to flick a coin at him. Accelerator was about to make his move. “Excuse me!” He stopped and looked to his left._

_A caped, bald man in a yellow suit stood there with the blankest of expressions. “Hey, do you kids know the way to the video store? I think I’m lost…” They were at a train yard._

_“Does this look like a video store to you?! Get lost, I’m in the middle of something!” Accelerator ran at the Misakas with super speed._

_“AAAAAH!” Misaka quickly repositioned her coin, but it was too late—_

_The caped baldy zipped up and PUNCHED Accelerator, blowing him through several freights with the force of a man-sized bullet. Misaka fell speechless before the sight, dropping the coin._

_“So, where’s the video store?” asked the man._

“I know.” Misaka chuckled. “It was pretty random. But as quickly as it happened, the project was over. The strongest man in the city was beaten by a Level 0, ordinary human with no powers. Bones broken and everything. I was so happy… but last month, I felt my sisters dying all over again. The tests resumed, and I have no idea why!”

“Do you think Accelerator has recovered?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know much about him, where he lives or anything. …!” She gasped. “Watch out! Those are patrol tanks.” She pointed at a squad of four white tanks. “They were sent out as soon as the monsters showed up.”

“What are those things?!” Nolan spotted a swarm of electrical spheres with evil faces fly down toward the tanks.

 _“Hak kak kak kak!”_ laughed one of the creatures before they all entered a tank, electrifying them as they formed red, evil eyes. The tanks began blasting the Sandmobile, Nolan dodging the vehicle.

“Misaka, are those tanks manned?”

“No, they’re controlled remotely!”

“Perfect.” With that, Nolan blasted his car’s laser at the tanks. He expertly maneuvered the Sandmobile to evade their fire and strike back, but the tanks were surprisingly durable. Sandman destroyed two, but three more approached him from behind.

Misaka unbuckled her seatbelt. “Mr. Sandman, let me out! I can help fight them!”

“My cannon is barely penetrating them, what can you do?!”

“Just do it!” Seeing the passion in her eyes, Sandman opened the windshield. Misaka put her hat back on and hopped on the car’s roof, the windshield closing. Misaka drew a coin from her pocket and positioned it to flick with her thumb. Locking onto a tank, lightning coursing through her body, she flicked the coin with the force of a cannon and destroyed the tank.

“WHOA!” exclaimed Sandman.

“Around here, they call me the Railgun!” Misaka leapt onto another tank and surged electricity through it. She drew out the Nightmare spirit possessing it and filled it with too much electricity that it popped. She flicked another coin into the next tank and exploded it. Sandman had been focusing on another tank and destroyed it, leaving Misaka to jump on the last one, draw out the Electro Possessor, and destroy it. “Well, sorry, but I think the score is 4 to 3.” she said perkily, a small spark on her fingertip.

“That was amazing…!” Sandman said with awe.

The roaring of a helicopter caught their attention. Above them was a G.U.N. helicopter with two propellers. “Who are they?” Misaka asked.

“It’s GUN. I signaled them.” Sandman answered.

He climbed out of the Sandmobile as the craft landed beside them. A soldier stepped off the helicopter and saluted. “Sandman: we have received your signal and are here to assist with the monster control in this city. Is there anything we can help you with?”

“Yes. There’s a dead middle school girl and an unconscious girl in the car. I want you to take them back to base for protection. I’ve already done the autopsy and I’ll send you the report.”

“Understood. What about this girl?”

Sandman spared a glance at Misaka, detecting the inquiring look in her shaded eyes. “I need her with me. She’s vital for the mission.”

“Very well.” With that, Sandman let them collect the dead clone and the sleeping Kuroko, the helicopter taking off afterwards.

“I don’t understand… How am I vital for your mission?” Misaka asked.

“I was talking about _your_ mission.”

“But I thought you were trying to stop Affright. Why go out of your way to help me? Some girl you don’t even know?”

“Because he’s a creeper who picks up young girls at night.” Revan said, peeping up behind her. “I’d say this is your last chance to run.”

“There’s a slim chance that this experiment could tie in with Affright’s plans somehow.” Nolan answered. “It couldn’t just be a coincidence. But even if it was… well…”

Misaka tilted her head back further to see his mask. Nolan removed the mask and looked her in the eye. “I’m a Kids Next Door operative at heart. My job is to save kids. Even if they were clones.”

“…Kids Next Door? Hmm… I’ve heard of them, but I never thought about joining them.” Misaka gave a soft smile. “And I never thought about asking them for help. I always thought they had more important things to worry about.”

“What could be more important than preventing mass murder?” Misaka sported a light chuckle at the realization. “This project won’t be complete under my watch. The Kids Next Door are helping you now. But I need you to help me, too. Do you know who else was involved in the project? Where they were keeping the data?”

Misaka frowned, thinking back to last year’s endeavors. “I think the whole city government was in on the project. Back then, I destroyed all their labs and all the data, but it was all being backed up in the Master Computer.”

“The Master Computer?”

“Up there.” Misaka pointed at the blimp looming over the city. “Way too high for me to reach. Unfortunately, I’m not a Birkan; I can’t grow electric wings and fly.”

Sandman put his mask back on. “But I can. Whaddya say we give them a surprise?”

“…” Misaka smirked. “I don’t know what it is about you… but you seem like a guy who could do anything.”

“You’re doomed.” Revan said. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Let me ride on the top.” Misaka said. “I can use my bending to stay attached to the car, and I’ll be able to shoot its defense missiles.”

“Okay, but be careful.” Nolan hopped in the Sandmobile and Misaka climbed on the roof. It transformed into the Sandwing and took flight toward the giant blimp. Sensing the incoming threat, the blimp launched missiles at the aircraft, Nolan blasting some with its lasers and Misaka blasting others with lightning bolts. When they drew close to the blimp, an energy barrier materialized around it.

“Uh-oh! I don’t remember it having a shield!”

“Scan shows the shield is connected to three generators around the outside. Misaka, do you think your bending can penetrate it?”

Misaka channeled lightning at the force-field. “No, it’s too powerful. But those missiles seem to get through just fine. If you can line us up with the generators, I can use my lightning to redirect them!”

“Okay! Here they come!” Sandman steered the ship near the first generator, which was under the TV. Misaka channeled a smaller surge of electricity and hacked the missile into redirecting and targeting the generator. As if by coincidence, when the generator was destroyed, The Riddler appeared on the TV, sobbing into his arm.

 _“Boo hoo hoo! Why doesn’t anyone like my riddles?! Sniff sniff, boo hoo hoo! …”_ He opened his eyes. _“Oh… is this thing on? Ahem, disregard this message… please.”_ And the TV switched back.

The next generator was at the top of the blimp, but it was no hard task for Misaka to redirect the missiles. The last generator was at the bottom, and with one last redirection, it was destroyed and the barrier was down. “Great job, Misaka. It looks like the missiles have stopped, too. Let’s get inside.”

Sandman flew the Sandwing beside the blimp’s entrance and they climbed inside. A control station under a wall-size computer was at the front, and a pigtailed girl sat there. Nolan recognized her. “…Haruka… is that you?” Nolan calmly approached her. His vision flashed and Haruka became a blue hologram like his Space-Time Vision.

A hologram that resembled Nolan approached her. _“Huh? Oh, hi, Mr. York! What’s up?”_

_“Hi, Haruka. Listen, I…I’m here for a check-up.”_

_“Ha ha! Sheesh, I know I’m great, but shouldn’t you see a professional doctor?”_

_“I can’t think of any doctor more qualified. I need you to look at this sample of my blood…”_ He handed her a vial.

Haruka dipped a drop under a microscope and examined it. _“…That’s weird… there is something strange inside it, but I’m not sure what…”_

_“I don’t know, either. But I keep having hallucinations. I…I keep seeing Revan…”_

“Oh, I remember this.” Revan said. “My favorite part’s coming up!”

 _“Do you want me to try to absorb it?”_ Haruka asked.

_“Yes. Maybe that would be best.”_

Nolan bent down as Haruka prepared to stick her fingers in his neck. In a split second, Nolan GRABBED Haruka by the neck and strangled her. _“Don’t you DARE touch him!”_ Revan and Nolan spoke in unison. _“He’s MINE, you hear me?! If you ever come near him again, I’ll…”_

“No! Stop!” Nolan tried to pry his hologram off Haruka’s. He succeeded, Haruka gasping for breath. Nolan turned away in shame, staring at his gloved hands. “It wasn’t me… It wasn’t…” He looked up, seeing The Brain in his canister.

The Brain spoke in his robotic voice, “Now, Nolan… there is no need to get others involved with our relationship…”

Plagued with guilt, Nolan turned back to Haruka, but Misaka was there instead. “Mr. Sandman? Are you… okay?”

“I’m fine. I just have… episodes… sometimes. So, is this the Master Computer? It’s a little smaller than I was expecting.”

“Well, the real Master Computer is all the way up in space, but I heard they control it from here. Sigh, you know, my hacking skills are the best in the business, but even I don’t think I can crack this one.”

“Step aside, sister.” Misaka gasped when Vanellope jumped out of Sandman’s wristwatch and into the computer. The screen turned glitchy as she began her work.

“Good work, Vanellope. Look up any information on the Sisters Project. See if you can find out who’s behind it.”

 _“Got it!”_ They waited for a few moments. An article was brought up onscreen. It was Japanese, but Nolan could use a translator to read it.

“‘Accelerator was chosen to be the first Level 6 in Academy City, but due to his defeat at the hands of a Level 0, the project was frozen. However, another candidate had arrived and the project could be resumed. We are currently gathering the scattered Sisters and moving them to their designated areas. We hope that this new candidate will fulfill our goals.’”

“But who is it?!” Misaka asked impatiently.

 _“It doesn’t say. Sorry. Oh, but I do have this schedule!”_ Vanellope brought up a list of times and locations.

“District 1, District 4, District 17… London, Rhode Island… wait a sec: they’re taking my sisters to other parts of the world! But it doesn’t name any specific areas! They must’ve been expecting me to interfere!”

“Or maybe they were expecting _me_ …” Nolan thought aloud. “…! Misaka! According to this, the next murder is going to happen in seven minutes! We need to get to District 1!”

“You’re right! Let’s hurry!” They ran back into the Sandwing and followed the map. (Play the Chase Theme from _Jak II_!)

Remote-controlled airships were pursuing the heroes, and as indicated by their red eyes, Electro Possessors were controlling them. Sandman dodged the craft under the first two ships, and Misaka about-faced to use her Railgun, exploding them both. “Hey, Mr. Sandman, do you have any spare coins? I’ve only got two left.”

“I’ll hand you some once we’re on the ground.”

Three more ships got behind them. Misaka carefully aimed her coin and fired, only destroying two of them. She had to expend her last coin to destroy the last one. “Well, that’ll have to be soon!”

Once in District 1, the Sandwing landed on the street and reverted back into a car. “We have six minutes, where do you think your sister is?!”

“How is SHE supposed to know, Nolan?!” Revan shouted. “Not every twin has telepathic magnetic connections, you know.”

“My sisters emit a similar telepathic frequency that allows them to communicate with and trace each other. I’ve been learning to trace that frequency myself.” Misaka tipped a sparking finger to her forehead and closed her eyes. “She’s on a small building surrounded by some taller buildings. That way!” Nolan grabbed her and grappled up to a building, and they jumped a few rooftops before finding the short building in question. “There she is!” Misaka spotted her sister crouched behind a vent.

The clone gasped when they dropped onto the roof, but realizing it was the original, she lifted her goggles. “‘Hello, Sister. I am surprised to see you here,’ says Misaka 10042, who is also surprised by the masked stranger behind her.”

“We’re getting you out of here.” Misaka stated, grabbing her arm.

“Carol, are there any suspicious people in the vicinity?” Nolan asked.

 _“None that I can see.”_ Carol said, viewing the satellite’s overhead image of the city.

“‘I am given to understand that if unexpected circumstances come up, the subject is required to vacate the phase of the project in question,’ Misaka 10042 says, providing clarity. ‘If this happens, they must prepare for the next test quickly.’”

“These next two are in seven-minute intervals.” Sandman observed. “Let’s hurry!” He called the Sandwing up and threw the Sister into the passenger seat, crushing Revan again. With Misaka on the roof, they flew the aircraft to District 4.

“Watch out! Surface-to-air missiles!” Misaka yelled.

“Fine! Then we’ll travel on the roads!” Sandman about-faced and landed on a road in District 1, using it to safely enter District 4 without being targeted.

“My sister’s in the northwest area, inside of a small building.” Misaka reported. Sandman studied the map, seeing that area of District 4 was rather enclosed, so they shouldn’t have to search far. Unfortunately, four possessed tanks impeded their progress. Sandman tossed some change up to Misaka, who hopped off and lined up all the tanks in front of her. She destroyed them all with the flick of a single coin. She got back on the Sandmobile as they drove to the designated area.

There were numerous restaurants in District 4, and there was an abandoned one in the area in question. The exterior was electrified, but like the blimp, there were three generators hidden around the area. There was one underneath a sewer grate, one hidden under a pile of crates, and one hidden in a tree, and Misaka could destroy them by overcharging them with lightning. They hurried inside the restaurant and found the Sister hiding behind the counter.

“‘Sister? Why are you here?’ asks Misaka 10043 with a glimmer of hope in her dull eyes.”

“Do all of them talk like that?” Nolan asked.

“Yep. Come on, let’s save the last one! District 17, let’s go!”

District 17 was west-northwest of the city, and the drive was a bit more complicated. Nolan avoided as many tanks as possible, and with five minutes to go, they made it to the district. Misaka sensed her sister’s location and gasped: “She’s in the switchyard! The same place where that Caped Baldy defeated Accelerator before…”

Five tanks tried to stop them, and they moved around to prevent Misaka from destroying them all at once. She destroyed the first one, then leapt to the second to draw out the Possessor. Sandman focused fire on another one and destroyed it, and then Misaka was able to line up the last two and destroy them. They hurried to the switchyard, only to immediately be bombarded by laser turrets from all over the gravelly ground. Sandman parked the car behind a freight, but the lasers were penetrating it.

“We’ve only got 3-and-a-half minutes!” Misaka yelled. “Sisters, can you contact her?!”

“I can see her!” Sandman yelled, using Detective Vision. “We’ll just have to destroy them all!” Sandman drove out and began blasting the turrets, quickly dodging their fire. “Dammit, there’s too many!”

“See what happens when you get involved in other peoples’ business?!” Revan shouted.

“If I use an electromagnetic pulse, I can shut them all down!” Misaka yelled. “It’ll shut your car down, but I can always power it back up!”

“Alright, do it, I’ll cover you!”

“You know, you can be too trusting for your own g-” Revan tried to say.

Misaka got behind the Sandmobile, charged energy in her enclosed hands, and smashed them into the ground, sending a shockwave that completely disabled all turrets. The Sandmobile deactivated as expected, but once Misaka analyzed the results, she powered the car back up. “Hm. I knew working with you would be a good idea.” Nolan said.

“Hm hm! Well, I’m not the 3rd-strongest for nothing. …I’m still not sure if I can trust you, you know.”

“It’s good to stay alert.” Sandman climbed out of the car as they headed to the Sister’s location. “By the way, I forgot to ask, does your other sister know about this project?”

“Huh? Oh, no no, Kuroko’s not really related to me, we’re just roommates. …Very close roommates. But she doesn’t know. None of my friends know.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell them?”

“Because I didn’t wanna get them involved. I couldn’t. I broke into private government facilities, I destroyed their equipment all for the sake of saving my sisters. If I were any less stealthy, I could be in major trouble.” _’Course, for all I know, this guy is a cop. I guess now we’ll find out…_

“That kind of reminds me of Batman.”

“Eh, really? How?”

“Batman has lots of friends that want to help him, but he’s always afraid of getting them in trouble. He’s too stubborn to let them help. But in reality, his friends were as involved as anyone else. Everyone in Gotham was in danger. So, despite the risks, they insisted on helping him. And even he couldn’t deny his friends were capable. To be honest, getting a civilian like you mixed up in my mission was the last thing I wanted to do… but you’re stronger than you look, Misaka. Having an ally like you with me is actually comforting.”

“Oh… well, that… means a lot, actually.” Misaka smiled. “So, is Sandman your real name?”

“No. It’s actually Nolan. Nolan York.”

“So, it’s like a secret identity thing? Hm hm, well I guess I better stick to calling you Sandman.”

They found the Misaka clone hiding under a secret hatch beneath a train rail. She had a small control room where she operated the cannons. “‘Are you the Level 6 subject,’ Misaka 10044 asks, showing slight fear at the thought of death.”

“No, I’m here to save you. I brought the original Misaka.” Said girl smiled and waved at her sister.

They brought the clone back to the Sandmobile to join the others. “It seems the next murder isn’t scheduled to murder until two hours, and is set in London. I’ll warn GUN about this and have these Sisters shipped to their base.”

“Will they protect them?”

“Positive. And besides, one of my friends is monitoring their base, so she can tell if something suspicious comes up.”

“Good. Thanks for the help, Sandman.”

“Hm?” The screen on the panel turned static. “Someone’s trying to contact me.” He clicked ‘Respond.’

A grinning mouth with purple lips appeared onscreen. _“Shurororo. Good evening, Sandman. I can see you’ve been interfering with a rather important experiment. Some people are very unhappy with you, so I must personally ask you to stop. Come to Academy Studios in District 6. We have one of the clones and we’ll kill her if you don’t come. I’ll be waiting, VERY eagerly. Shurorororororo!”_ Transmission ended.

“Caesar… I’d recognize that Joker-like voice anywhere.”

“We have to go!” Misaka pled. “We have to save her!”

“Don’t worry; he won’t kill her if he can use her to lure me. But we’ll have to play it carefully. Let’s bring these three to GUN first. …” Nolan thought back to his encounter with Holiday. “Actually, Misaka, I need to ask you something.”

“What?”

Without looking at her, he spoke. “…If, at any point, I start acting out of character… if it seems like I become a totally different person, I want you to leave me behind and get out of there. In fact, attack me with your lightning if you need to.”

“W…Why…?”

“Just promise me you will. I need you to help me catch Caesar, but I don’t want to endanger you.”

“Okay… I will… We’re still going to save my sister, right?”

“Hm.” Nolan pulled off his mask and cracked a smile. “Of course we will.”

 

**Misaka and Academy City, along with this whole side plot, is from _A Certain Scientific Railgun_ (a spinoff of _Magical Index_ ), but with my own Gameverse-style twists. So next time, more fun with Misaka!**


	5. Evil Twin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandman and Railgun infiltrate Academy Studios to rescue Misaka's sister.

**Sorry for the hiatus, but _Super Mario Odyssey_ is the best thing Nintendo has produced this year.**

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Chapter 5: Evil Twin

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**Academy City; District 6**

Sandman parked the Sandmobile in an alley close to Academy Studios. They waited as a large GUN tank drove by and rotated 360 degrees with a scanner before proceeding. “Those are GUN Cobras.” Nolan observed. “They’re some of GUN’s strongest. They’re invincible from all sides except for the turret. Of course, you can’t get in front without the scanner spotting you. The drones are unmanned, so they’re probably being controlled by the Electro-Possessors.”

“If I get on top of them, I can use my electricity to blind the scanners.” Misaka said.

“That’s what I was thinking. But do you think you can jump off before they explode?”

“You bet I can.” Misaka smirked. “Let’s get started.”

Sandman smiled and opened the windshield to let her out. With Misaka squatted on the roof, he drove the Sandmobile to the first Cobra. She nimbly hopped onto the tank and used electricity to disable the scanner. Sandman drove in front, aimed his cannon, and blasted the Cobra’s turret. In the second it took to explode, Misaka jumped off. Two more Cobras were alerted and made their way to its location. The Sandmobile went back to hiding and waited for the Cobras to separate. Using the same tactics, they were able to destroy these two.

“There’s five of them in all. Two of them haven’t moved. They must be guarding the entrance.” Sandman drove the car up a sloped road leading to the entrance, parking it just under the top to stay out of their line of sight. “There’s a chance neither of them will move from their post. Misaka, I don’t suppose you would be able to disable two at once.”

“No, but I have another plan.” Misaka jumped off and approached the twin Cobras. Generating a static shield around her, Misaka bravely walked up undetected by the scanners. She hopped onto the left one and flicked a coin at the other, drawing its attention. With its turret facing the first tank, Misaka jumped to that one and stunned it in place. When the other reactivated, she caught its attention and tricked it into shooting the former in the turret, destroying it. She hopped on the remaining one and disabled it, letting Sandman take care of the rest.

 _“Hey, Mr. York.”_ Carol spoke. _“After you get inside, try to get Vanellope into the network. We’ll be able to nab any secret files Caesar may be hiding.”_

“Good idea. But first comes the hard part.” Nolan parked the Sandmobile and approached the entrance with Misaka. The entrance served as an elevator with 18 buttons to choose from. Sandman and Misaka entered the elevator. “18 floors, huh? Which one do you think they’re on?” Misaka asked.

Nolan responded by clutching the sides of the panel and yanking it off. A new set of buttons was revealed underneath. “It’s typical for underworld brokers to have hidden underground floors in their buildings. But these buttons won’t take us to them. We’ll have to input a code.”

“Give me a minute.” Misaka lit little sparks on her fingers and held it to the buttons.

 _“Access approved.”_ the computer affirmed. The door shut and began to carry them down.

“Wow… you’re pretty amazing at this.” Nolan said, impressed.

“What, this whole ‘breaking and entering’ business? When I was trying to stop the tests the first time, stuff like this came natural. Even if they knew it was me, they couldn’t arrest me without publicizing the project.”

_In fact, she would be really handy in finding the Riddler Trophies. …No, her Sisters take priority._

“Give in, Nolan. Embrace the selfishness.” Revan taunted.

 _I think I should take off these Chi-block Gauntlets for now._ Nolan thought, switching said gloves out with his normal ones. _Wouldn’t want to disrupt her powers._ (Play “Dead Bird Studio” from _A Hat in Time_!)

The elevator stopped at the bottom and let them out. They quickly encountered ten Karate Guys, Shy Guys who were trained in the martial arts. Two of the little fighters flipped up and kicked Sandman, who blocked with Armament hands before kicking one, grabbing the other, and throwing it into another. A Shy Guy leapt at him, but Nolan grabbed it by the neck while Misaka shocked it unconscious. Sandman grabbed two more’s faces and smashed them both against the floor, afterwards throwing his boomerang at a ceiling spotlight as it came down on another Shy Guy.

Misaka swiftly slipped coins into three Shy Guys’ coats, then used electricity to draw them together. In this awkward state, Sandman could beat them into submission. The last three surrounded the duo, who fought back with Haki and electric punches. Two of them were knocked out, then Sandman and Misaka both swung a foot into the last one.

“HAH!” A Shy Guy in a suit and sunglasses leapt out and PUNCHED both heroes.

“Agh!” Nolan grunted. As the Shy Guy leapt away, a white, winged chibi-like creature with a counter on its forehead appeared beside them.

“You’re trespassing on studio property.” the Shy Guy stated. “You will be fined for any damage you commit.”

 _“Trespassing: -5,000 yen!”_ the creature said as the counter raised that high and he expanded. It spoke with a cheerful voice and happy smile.

“What is this thing?!” Nolan demanded.

“My name is Debt Guy, and I swallowed Dr. Clown’s Debt-Debt Fruit. Any sort of crime you commit within a certain area will raise your debt. If APR grows too big, he will explode. There is no way to get rid of him unless you leave the area.”

“What if we just knock you out?”

A sweatdrop dripped down Debt Guy’s face. In a flash, he zipped away. “Oh, great. ’Guess I’ll have to be careful what I zap.” Misaka said.

“First a Devil Fruit that works depending on the holiday, now one that raises our debt based on what we do… I hate to say it, but Caesar’s new production line is impressive.”

Nolan and Misaka had to balance across electric wires over an electric chasm, jumping little sparks traveling the wires. One of the wires led through a sealed gate, but Misaka couldn’t blow it open without raising their debt. That wire had no spark traveling it, so Misaka used her power to draw in one of the sparks from the previous wire and let it travel along the wire through the gate. It triggered a switch that rose the gate.

They balanced wires as they turned a corner and came to another sealed gate. “Hey, look, guys, it’s the Sandman!” a Shy Guy guard taunted. “Go ahead, use your new girlfriend to blow down this door! It’s worth five million yen!”

“Actually, it’s only 1,000 yen.” another Shy Guy contradicted.

“W-Well, the equipment in this room could be five million!”

“Misaka, back here.” Sandman led her back around the corner. There was a small hole in an air vent, and Nolan slipped the Grapple-Cam into it. The Cam made its way to the room where the Shy Guys were, but Sandman kept it out of eyesight of them. _“Oooooo… I am the Ghost of Academy Studios…”_ his transmitted voice echoed eerily.

“A G-G-G-GHOST?!” the Shy Guys panicked.

_“Open the gate or I will eeeeaaat yoooouuu…”_

“Well, we were keeping it closed for Sandman, but… Ah, screw it, nothing he does to us is worse than the wrath of a ghost!” With that, the Shy Guys pulled the lever and opened the gate. Misaka immediately ran across the wires and zapped the four Shy Guys unconscious.

 _“Shy Guy harassment: -9,000 yen!”_ APR said as the total subtracted to 14,000. Nolan and Misaka entered a narrow hall that turned right, and they immediately walked into a movie camera’s yellow light as bullets fired. _“Disrupting recording: -100,000 yen!”_ Their total went down to 114,000.

“What the hell are they recording?!” Misaka shouted.

“The Haunted Corner.” Nolan remarked. “Still, 100,000 is a lot. I wonder if it’ll explode if it hits a million?”

“Then we better not get caught.” Misaka electrified her hands and feet and climbed up the wall and ceiling like a magnetic spider. She got behind the camera and grabbed a cardboard samurai, placing it in front of the light. The bullets didn’t trigger, so Sandman could safely come around. They found an alternate doorway that led into a room with green paint and lights, likely set up by Riddler.

This puzzle involved a bunch of cameras pointing at posters. Nolan recognized the posters and instructed Misaka to zap the cameras on in order: one of Grandfather looming over the KND, one of Nigel Uno and his alien friends with the Irken Tallests looming over, one of Malladus’ silhouette in a blazing fire, one of Nigel and Numbuh 10 looking at the sunset, one of the members of Team Gnaa against their respective enemies, one of Cheren Uno staring up at Majora’s Mask, one of Nebula standing on an asteroid in space, one of Sheila sitting on the keel of a ship, and one featuring all the antagonists of the Seven Lights Quest. Once the cameras were activated in order, the trophy was theirs.

The duo continued down the hall and encountered two cameras facing each other and blocking a doorway. There was a vent above the door, but its floor was barbed. Misaka used Magnet Spider to crawl up and along the vent’s ceiling. Evading the barbed wire, Misaka could drop out on the other side and use two cardboard Japanese temples to block the camera lights. The path led them to a chasm of electricity, and the hole in the electric pool was probably the way to go. Misaka used her bending to draw in a hook hanging over the pit. Sandman grabbed it and held Misaka in his other hand as they used the hook to descend.

They could maneuver the hook around and slip through the hole in the electric. Three more layers of the energy lay below them, and each had a hole. Past the third one, Sandman spotted a Riddler Trophy on a wall and told Misaka to draw it in. With that, they set foot on the safe walkway below and entered another passage. The passage continued over another chasm, which Sandman could zoom across with the Line Launcher. However, there were platforms with tables of very expensive vases and china. “They clearly planted those there so we would hit them and raise our debt. I’m going to use the Remote Boomerang to scout ahead.”

Nolan threw said boomerang across the chasm. Past the first section, the hall would turn right, and Sandman would have to Line Launch along the very left to avoid a series of stain-glass windows. The hall would turn left and take them through some camera searchlights, the first bit being low while the next ones were higher. With that, Misaka held onto him as Sandman Line Launched through the first round, stayed on the left for the second round, and for the third round, he quickly pulled himself and Misaka up onto the zipline. “Dude, you have some crazy fast reflexes.” Misaka said.

They balanced on the zipline and went over the first cameras, but for the higher cameras, they had to drop and resume zipping across normally. They set foot on a platform and entered the next room. This room had tall platforms and cardboard buildings, and one look through Detective Vision told Sandman this room was filled with armed Shy Guys. “Why is there a secret studio under the old one?” a Shy Guy asked.

“The boss says they used this place for advanced special effects too great for the world to know about. We oughta take some of this junk when we’re done here.”

**? He wanted to become a movie star, but this little Bean did not get far. ?**

Sandman pulled Misaka up to a hanging airplane model. Other such airplanes would serve as their gargoyles. However, the strings holding this one up were tearing. “This thing isn’t supporting both our weight. We’ll have to attack separately, but wait for my signal.” Misaka nodded, and Nolan grappled to another plane. There were 10 Shy Guys around the room and some cameras. One of the guards was a Big Guy, wielding a minigun. The guns also had chi-blocks, so Misaka couldn’t use her lightning on them. He spotted two Shy Guys walking side-by-side and facing opposite directions. “Misaka, we’ll take those two together!”

Nolan landed behind one Shy Guy and gassed him at the same time Misaka landed behind the other and softly shocked him. Nolan grappled back up while Misaka magneted up to the ceiling. _“Shy Guy assault: -18,000 yen!”_

“Hey, I heard a voice!” The Shy Guys looked up to where Sandman was, due to APR’s loud voice. He quickly grappled to another plane before they could notice him. Three Shy Guys gathered and looked up at the previous plane, so Sandman signaled Misaka to go down and slip coins in their pockets. She returned to the ceiling and used magnetism to yank the Shy Guys up and drop them as they were KO’ed. _“Shy Guy assault: -27,000 yen!”_ APR spoke near Misaka, so she was required to switch planes lest they find her.

There were five left, but Sandman warned Misaka not to attack the green Shy Guy. One Shy Guy stood beside a searchlight camera under a bridge, so he couldn’t be ambushed from above, and he faced the opposite direction of the camera in anticipation of rear attacks. Nolan dropped down and picked up a cardboard house, using it as a shield to approach the Shy Guy from in front of the camera. “Meer?” The Shy Guy looked back, so Nolan stopped. “Oh, just a house.” He faced forward again. Nolan snuck closer. “Meer?” Nolan stopped. “House, stop creeping me out.” Nolan snuck closer and got behind the Shy Guy. “Meer?” He looked back again, but was too late as Nolan SMASHED the house over his head.

 _“House K.O. and Shy Guy harassment: -14,000 yen!”_ APR said, increasing their debt to 192,000. Sandman returned to the ceiling as the four remaining Shy Guys gathered to where their latest friend fell. The three smaller Shy Guys stood together, leaving the minigunner by himself.

“Misaka, we can take the Big Guy easy.” Nolan said. Misaka watched as he dropped behind the Big Guy and jumped on his back, ripping off the chi-block sticker on his gun. Misaka dropped in front, and Sandman got off as she zapped him via his minigun, then she stopped so Sandman could do an aerial knock-out kick. _“Big Shy Guy assault: -100,000 yen!”_

“What?! Big Shy Guy assault?!” another Shy Guy panicked.

“Oh, Stars, they knocked out the Big Guy! We’re screwed! Quick, shoot your guns around aimlessly!”

 _“Nananananananananana…”_ Their bullets flew in any direction they pleased. Sandman threw the Grapple-Cam down and called, “Over here, suckers!” The Shy Guys immediately shot in its direction. Sandman and Misaka landed behind two of the Shy Guys and Silent KO’ed them. With only the green Shy Guy remaining, Nolan grabbed him by the scruff. “Give me some Riddler Trophies or I’ll…I’ll think of a witty threatening line!”

“Grah! I only know this much!”

“Well, you’ll have to make up for it. Where’s the Debt Guy hiding?!”

“He’s in the Tax Evader’s Den! It’s over there!” Nolan followed his direction to a hatch on the floor. Misaka used her power to rip it open, exposing the Debt Guy in a tiny computer room.

“Ehhhh… pay no attention to the obvious reference?”

Nolan smashed the other Shy Guy onto Debt Guy and knocked them both out. The APR disappeared. “This is perfect. Vanellope, think you can use this computer?”

 _“Well, it’s a bit shabby, but I can make do.”_ Vanellope jumped from his wristwatch into the computer. _“Don’t worry, I’ll find dirt on Caesar in no time! Speaking of, it seems like he’s just one floor down. I’ll open the elevator.”_

“Thanks, Vanel. But I guess I’ll look for this Riddle before I forget.” Nolan searched around the studio and located a cardboard model of Wuya. Next to it was a table with a tiny camera and equipment, and the label _The Bean and the Babe_. “So, Hannibal Bean used to come here, eh? Sigh, poor guy.” He snapped the picture and solved the Riddle.

“Great, so let’s head down and help my sister.” Misaka insisted.

“Hold on. It’ll be too obvious if we just ride the elevator down. Can you use your power to lift it up?”

“Gee, how could you get this far without me?” asked Misaka as she channeled her lightning to make the elevator raise up. It remained in place as they grabbed the rope and slid down. After hitting the bottom, Nolan switched on Detective Vision and detected a figure in the next room, along with a staticky mass. “He’s in there. Caesar Clown. And I think that’s your sister beside him.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, there’s a convenient vent here, so we’ll do what I always do.” Sandman changed back to his Chi-block Gloves. “This vent has electrical beams to block out intruders. You’ll have to go in front and disable them. Once we’re in position, I’ll grab Caesar while you free the Sister.”

The vent was sort of maze-like, and the end point was conveniently behind Caesar. The Misaka clone was strapped to a metal bed. “‘Please release me. This was not part of the experiment,’ Misaka 19887 asks with pleading eyes.”

“Oh, silly clone, it’s common knowledge that plans are meant to derail.” Caesar said with his usual maniacal grin. “Why, it’s pointless to even plan them at all. Just dive in headfirst, that’s what I say.”

“‘My sister will rescue me. Your plans will fail,’ says Misaka with faith in her older sister.”

“Well, I doubt your sister knows my real name. The second she steps in here, I’ll choke the living daylights out of her with my Airless World! And I’ll do the same to those wretched Kids Next Door, once Affright is done playing with them. They’ll RUE the day they tied me to a leash like a rabid dog!”

At that instant, Sandman popped out of the vent and grabbed Caesar by the neck. “We’ll see about THAT, Caesar Dimalanta!”

“Ack! S-S-Sandman!…”

“Don’t worry, Sis, I’m here!” Misaka began to free her sister from the binds.

“Tell me where Affright is, Caesar! Or I WON’T go easy on you!”

“ _Aaaack_! Okay, okay, I’ll tell you! A-Affright… is at… _4-5-6-25-7-15-4!”_ He spoke this in a low voice.

The chi-block symbols turned into mist. “What?!”

“SHURORO!” Caesar turned into gas and flew 20 feet high. “Your petty chi-blocks don’t scare ME, anymore! You may begin the test, Misaka 20003!”

“AAAH!” The clone blasted her sister away with a powerful bolt.

“I knew you would come, Sister.” The clone said with malice. When Misaka recovered, she examined the clone more thoroughly: she was slightly taller and had messy hair and orange irises, along with bags under her eyes that went with her psychotic smile. …Yet, what really caught Misaka’s eyes was the larger chest area.

“You’re a new clone… aren’t you?” Misaka asked.

“After reading the original blueprints to the machine and making a few tweaks, I decided to create a clone myself!” Caesar explained. “I mean, a clone of yourself. Only I wanted this one to be a _little_ more evil. I present Misaka Worst! Or ‘Worst Misaka’ if you’re American. And her skillset is far above those of the other clones. Her speed, for instance!”

In a flash, Misaka Worst yanked Sandman’s mask away with electricity, then zipped behind to wrap her right arm around his neck. She used the left hand to grab a silver spray can and try to hold it in front of him, but Nolan struggled and tried to push the arm back. “More Fear Gas?!”

“Even better!” Caesar grinned. “Bang Gas!”

Misaka Worst zapped Nolan to weaken him and succeeded in spraying the Bang Gas in his face. “Aaagh! Cough! ERRRGH!” Nolan knocked off his hat and grabbed his head.

“Sandman!” shouted Misaka.

“Ha ha ha HAH! Now THIS is the kind of juice I NEEDED!” declared Revan as his mismatched eyes shone clearly. “Hey, Caesar, fire up some special effects! We’re in a movie studio, right?!”

“Shuroro! Of course, My Lord!” Caesar flew over to a lever and pulled.

A holographic projection displayed, of giant robots setting Washington D.C. to ashes. “Ahhhh, one of my finest moments.” Revan sighed, awash in memories. “One of the first things I wanna do is destroy this place all over again. The new president is some Indian boy, isn’t that right, Nolan?”

“S-Sandman?” Misaka stuttered. “Are you… okay?”

She was startled when Nolan’s psychotic visage whipped her direction. “Oh, right. Let’s make this quick, shall we?” He quickly threw a Psycho Sphere at her, but Misaka dodged with a skip of the heart. “You’re supposed to try and hit it BACK!” Nolan flew up and zapped Force Lightning, which injured Misaka due to the conflicting chi. He then raised the girl into the air by her neck, using the classic Force Choke.

“Oh, it feels so good to be doing this again!” said a Revan clone on Nolan’s left.

“And in such a beautiful new body.” A clone on Nolan’s right stroked his facial hair.

“Who do you think we should kill next?” A clone plopped his head on Nolan’s.

“Hi, Nolan.” Peter Griffin said. “I’m in your horrific vision, too.”

“Embrace the Dark Side, Nolan.” spoke Darth Genious as hundreds of brains in canisters surrounded them. “My anger is your anger. Let it grow and consume you. Just as Darkness is destined to consume the Light.”

Meanwhile, Misaka tried to grab the invisible force around her neck, but was helpless to his power as she flailed her hanging feet. _Is this what Sandman was talking about?! About being a different person? He told me to use my lightning if I need to… I guess I have no choice._ She positioned her fingers. _Psychicbenders concentrate chi in the brain… so I’ll aim there!_ She fired a quick jolt at Nolan’s brain.

“ZZZZZZZZZ-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-TTTTTT!” Revan jittered, his ghost stunned in place as electricity coursed through Nolan’s brain. Misaka dropped and fell on her knees, quickly standing as she gasped for breath and kept her fingers aimed.

“Oh, come on, old boy. It should take more than a little lightning to do you in.” Caesar said. “Shake it off and kill that annoying pest!”

 _If it seems like I become a totally different person, I want you to leave me behind and get out of there._ Nolan’s words repeated in Misaka’s mind.

The meaning of his words was unfurling before her eyes, but why wasn’t she running? After all, this man was still a stranger. …And yet, he helped rescue her sisters. And judging by his warning, he tried to rescue this new sister at the risk that something like this would happen. “…Nolan, snap out of it!” Misaka zapped another jolt at his brain, but Revan felt all the pain.

“Bzzzzzzzzzzttttttt! You’re a very disrespectful young lady… Kill her, Nolan! K-K-K-Kill her!”

“C-C-C…C-C…CAESAR!” Nolan whipped in the clown’s direction, still jittery from the lightning. “Whatever you’re doing to me… whatever you HAVE done… IT WON’T WORK! I’ll defeat Affright… and save the Kids Next Door!”

“Ho boy. ’Guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way. Misaka Worst, attack them!”

The evil clone flipped a coin and charged her Railgun to blast both opponents. “It was nice knowing you, Sis!” (Play “Thunderblight Ganon” from _Zelda: Breath of the Wild_!)

 

_Boss fight: Misaka Worst_

Nolan and Misaka dodged just a millisecond before Worst blasted the coin with incredible velocity. She lit her body with lightning, zipped a few meters back in a zigzaggy fashion, then returned for a quick kick to Sandman’s head. Misaka aimed lightning at her, but Worst zipped circles around her before zapping the original in the back. The evil twin attacked them two more times with the same maneuvers. Afterwards, she ran several meters across the holographic room and sent giant electrical spheres into the air, homing in on her enemies as Misaka shot them down with her own lightning.

“Misaka, can you run as fast as she can?!” Nolan shouted.

“Uh, I don’t have much practice with Lightning Speed.”

“Nolan, use my power!” Revan said. “My psychicbending can anticipate her actions! Come on, Nolan, I taught you everything I know about psychic. Sure, you couldn’t use it at the time, but something in my spinal cord told me it would be useful to you some day.”

Misaka blasted her Railgun at the clone, but Worst easily dodged and dashed to her enemies with Lightning Speed. Misaka closed her eyes and tried to telepathically trace her movements, but was met with a kick to the back of the head. “If you’re trying to track me, it won’t work.” Worst said. “I’ve learned to block you and the other sisters out. AGH!” She was grabbed by Nolan’s psychic.

“You’ll have to give me some tips.” Nolan remarked. Misaka quickly dealt a powerful shock to her sister, then Nolan yanked her over, pinned her to the ground, and laid a beatdown. Worst zapped him off and zipped away again. Nolan tried to grab her with psychic, but her speed prevented him from focusing on her. She was able to kick him off his feet twice.

“Nolan, she’s moving in a pattern, silly!” Revan retorted. “First she does obtuse angles, then she does 8-point star! Now, stop being so obtuse and choke her ass!”

Indeed, Worst’s zigzag patterns came in obtuse angles, then she would circle Misaka at eight different turns. She was targeting Sandman again, and judging by her distance, he anticipated where she would stop and grabbed her with psychic. Misaka zapped her again, then Sandman brought her over for a beatdown. However, Worst recovered quickly and zipped behind to wrap arms around his neck, but Nolan threw his own arms back and grabbed her neck in turn. Both enemies exchanged lightning, Revan’s eyes igniting as Nolan fell back and crushed Worst.

Nolan then rolled over and grabbed her by the neck. “I don’t need you burning my brain cells, bitch! I’ll choke you AND your sister! ZZZT!” Misaka zapped Nolan’s head.

“I don’t know what kind of demon is possessing you, but you aren’t killing MY sisters. But what I don’t understand is why you’re working for this man!” Misaka said to Worst. “I mean, are you alright with him killing all of our sisters?! Are YOU the Level 6 subject?!”

“We’re not really ‘sisters.’ All we are are mindless tools, meant to help breed powerful fighters like you. When all the other clones have perished, I will have inherited all their experience, and I’ll be stronger than you! That means the Level 6 will target ME, and if he succeeds, he will prove himself as the Ultimate Life Form!”

Misaka charged her Railgun, and Misaka Worst ran 30 meters away to charge her own. “Whoever this ‘Ultimate Life Form’ is, I’ll never let him hurt you! And I’ll blast these twisted thoughts out of your mind!”

“We’ll see about that! Perhaps we’ll see who’s stronger right now, with my Triple Coin Gun!” Misaka Worst had three coins in her hand, blasting them with wind breaking speed.

“Like I don’t know my own power.” Misaka smirked. “You may fire coins at the speed of sound.” Misaka blasted her single coin and easily blew through the triple coins. “But I can fire with three times that speed!”

“AAAAAAAHHHH!” Misaka Worst was blown against the wall of the hologram. With the last of her strength knocked out, the clone fell. (End song.)

“Sigh… I can’t believe that man could just decide her personality like that. …! Sandman!” She rushed over to him, remembering Nolan’s condition.

Nolan was keeping a hand over his face and gasping, his insane eyes staring sharply at Misaka through the fingers. “Mi…Misaka…” The madness died down as Nolan lowered his hand. “Thanks. If not for your lightning… I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

“Sandm-… Nolan… what happened to you just then?”

“It was… an episode… Ahem.” Nolan looked up and around. Caesar was gone. “Damn coward.”

His wristwatch rang. Nolan happily answered to Carol, hoping for good news. _“Good news! Vanellope snatched the secret files! We’ll present them to GUN once you get back.”_

“Then it’s time to leave this place for now. I’ll take this Misaka clone to GUN myself. The soldiers can come and clean out the Shy Guys.”

“Are you going to help me save the rest of them?” Misaka asked.

“Of course I will. But it seems that your sisters were shipped to other parts of the world. This is where we part ways, for now.”

“Take me with you!” she pled.

Surprised by her proposal, Nolan faced the talented bender. In a split second, she was split down the middle, her halves falling apart as Revan stood behind her, lightsaber in hand and eyes full of malice. “I’ll kill her the second she looks away. I’ll kill her while she’s sleeping! You and me don’t need to sleep, Nolan. We always keep our eyes open.”

“…You have to stay here, Misaka. This city will need a powerful bender like you to protect it. I’ll keep you updated on the Sisters case, but you call if something comes up.”

“I guess you’re right…” She spoke with clear disappointment. “Just, please… try to save them.”

“I will, Misaka. …Still… the ‘Ultimate Life Form.’” Nolan thought back to the clone’s words. “I feel like… I know that from somewhere…”

They both worked together to carry Misaka Worst out of the studio. Once outside, Nolan had her strapped in the back of the Sandmobile. “Well… see you later, Sandman.”

“Until then, Railgun.” With that, Nolan hopped into the Sandmobile, changed it to the Sandwing, and made the flight to America.

“Oooo, Nolan, we know the equation that disables chi-blocks!” Revan beamed. “We probably shouldn’t tell anybody. If criminals knew about that, we’d have NO way to hold them! And worse, we couldn’t hold nasty little children like Worst there.”

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Nolan parked the Sandmobile in the underground garage and dragged Misaka Worst inside. She was handcuffed with chi-blocks and thrown into the cell with Holiday. “I should hope you’ll think long and hard about what you want out of this.”

“Don’t act like we can have a personality.” Worst retorted. The cell’s barrier reactivated, leaving the prisonmates trapped.

As Nolan passed through the prison wing, he caught sight of Ruby and Sapphire, watching their poisoned teammates of Sector KB. “So, you two weren’t poisoned, either.”

The aliens looked up at him. “Yes. It seems our non-organic bodies served us well.” Sapphire replied. “I feel ashamed for not seeing this coming.”

“NOBODY LOVES ME!” Bon Clay, Jr. cried. “Nobody loooooves meeeee…”

“I’m a terrible host, just terrible!” Hibiki cried.

“See, this is why Sector SA passed us.” Ruby said. “Our team is so stupid.”

“Mr. York, I can sense that your mind is troubled.” Sapphire said. “There is… an unusual force.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle. But given your immunities, you two could help rescue the other sectors.”

“Pssh, those guys can take care of themselves.” Ruby scoffed.

Nolan borrowed replacement Chi-block Gauntlets and met with Gunkan in the computer room. Carol’s face projected on the large screen. _“According to the files, the underground film studio used technology that could hypnotize viewers through the airwaves. It wasn’t used to actually brainwash them, but rather manipulate their thoughts in certain ways.”_

“I understand.” Nolan replied. “Affright is probably using this technology to influence his audience. He can’t rely on the world to hate the Kids Next Door by choice.”

“You may be right.” Gunkan said. “We’ve been watching the treehouses we haven’t rescued, yet. I overheard a few of the soldiers saying bad things. ‘I know Affright’s the one behind this, but he has a point.’ ‘What if there’s no way to fix the Kids Next Door?’ That’s what they said. We’ve rescued operatives from seven treehouses so far, but even if we save them all, Affright’s words may still sink into their brains.”

_“Unfortunately, I can’t find anything on the Sisters Project or anything else related to Affright’s plans. But it’s no doubt that that studio was used by the Criminal Underworld.”_

“In any case, I’ll have soldiers sent out to rescue as many of the Misaka clones as we can.” Gunkan assured. “Where will you be heading next, Nolan?”

“First I need to visit your lab. You still produce Anti-metahuman Antidote, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes. …Why do you need it?”

“Caesar tried to gas me. I’d prefer if I didn’t have any unnecessary mutations.”

“Okay, then we’ll get some for you.”

Nolan waited by the Sandmobile as a soldier brought him some antidote. “Go ahead, Nolan.” Revan smirked. “I dare you.”

Nolan injected himself in the neck. A throbbing pain coursed through his head. “Are you… okay, sir?” the soldier asked.

“Ergh… Y…Yeah… whatever Caesar did, it was probably nothing.” He gave the syringe back.

“Okay… Glad to be of help, sir.” The soldier brought the antidote back.

“As if you could ever chase me away with something that simple.” remarked Revan.

Nolan’s watch rang once more. _“Hey, Mr. York! It’s me again! Listen, one of my teammates just contacted me. Ciel Phantomhive. He wants to talk to you.”_

“Put him on the line.”

Carol’s face was replaced with that of a shadowy figure. _“Good evening, Mr. York. I was informed you seek the whereabouts of a man named Kelvin Renbourn.”_

“Yes… actually. I’m given to believe this man is involved with Affright’s plans somehow.”

 _“Mr. York, I would like to invite you to my manor in London. As for the location, well, I believe I’ll let you determine that. I would say ‘Don’t be a stranger,’ but then, where’s the fun in that?”_ Nolan could detect a smirk before the transmission ended.

_“He always was the shady one of our group. Honestly, he’s really uncooperative sometimes.”_

“He sounds like he’d be fun to add to my circle of friends.”

 

**One thing I love about _Mario Odyssey_ is that Mario has various costumes, and lots of them represent Nextgen kids! There’s one for April, one for Sheila, for Django, for Kodama—I love it! So next time, we’ll have a crossover that has most likely been pretty hyped for this story!**


	6. His Butler, My Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sandman seeks Ciel Phantomhive in the ghostly town of London.

**I never mentioned this, but I don’t actually plan for this story to be super long. Like, it may be as long as _Candied Adventure_ if anything.**

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Chapter 6: His Butler, My Partner

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**London** (Play “Merry Olde England” from _Sly 4_!)

A thick fog had swallowed the surface of London. All the wise men and women were safe in their homes, while the streets were crawling with misshapen monsters. A frog with a face on its belly rode a unicycle as it juggled coconuts, a long-legged, short-necked giraffe trekked above the fog, and a pink crescent moon with airplane wings was blowing balloon snowmen. What better place to oversee all this than the very top of Big Ben itself, the Sandman subconsciously thought. _“Won’t Crystal be mad that you’re visiting London without her?”_ Carol asked.

“She’ll forgive me. Where does Ciel Phantomhive live?”

_“IIIII… don’t know. Ciel never tells us anything about his personal life. I’m trying to call him now, but he isn’t answering.”_

“I guess he’s trying to test my detective skills. Very well. I’ll ask the locals.” Taking flight from the Big Ben, Sandman studied the misty streets, and only his Detective Vision could help him see in the thick white. The people down below had unusually misshapen bodies, though he couldn’t make out their appearances. The megaphones rang as Affright appeared on all the screens.

_“Verse Number 5: Why I Love Fear. To me, Fear is like a fine woman. A most beautiful maiden who craves every ounce of succulent-”_

_“DAMMIT, Sandman,”_ The Riddler’s image appeared, _“quit goofing around with Affright and PLAY WITH ME!! I mean, solve my riddles!”_

 _“Nigma!”_ Affright shouted. _“We agreed to only broadcast at our listed times!”_

_“Well, Affright, someone has to remind him that YOU’RE not the only relevant villain tonight. I mean, **I** was the one who kidnapped his wife. And besides, if his brain cells decay in his attempt to complete my riddles, he’ll be helpless before you! And don’t believe that insidious rumor that stupid people can’t get scared.”_

_“That rumor was about illness, not fear.”_

_“Grr-! I know that!”_

“Ah, there’s a Riddler Informant.” Sandman said, flying down to the green target in a crowd of four. Once he was in the fog, he had a clearer view and realized these people were clowns. “Hey, fellas.”

“Huh?!” The clowns whipped around in surprise.

“I’m looking for someone. Does the word ‘Phantomhive’ sound familiar to you?”

“Phantomhive?”

“This must be what he warned us about! Get him, guys!” The clowns whipped out thin balloons and bent them into hammers. The first clown whacked the side of Nolan’s head with the balloon, knocking him over with the force of a real hammer. Nolan got up and retaliated by grabbing another’s hammer and squeezing it with Armament to make it pop, afterwards punching the clown and kicking another off his feet. Nolan grabbed a clown’s hammer and whacked him with it, then gave two more clowns a kick and punch before squeezing the next clown’s nose in Armament and slamming him against the ground. One of the clowns got back his hammer, but Sandman took it, wrapped it around his neck, and hauled the clown overhead before slamming him down. He knocked out the third clown with one punch and was able to grab the Riddler Informant’s neck.

“I’ve got a couple of questions for you. The first one involves a guy with a question mark suit.”

“Sure, I’ll mark the Riddler Trophies for ya!”

“Thanks. My second question is the one I asked previously: do you know anyone called Phantomhive?”

“We don’t speak of them. The Phantomhive Family has been dead for almost 200 years. All that exists now are ghosts.”

“Impossible. I was just speaking to Ciel Phantomhive on the phone. I also saw him compete in a Field Day tournament.”

“So, you ARE working for him.”

“TELL ME WHERE HE IS.” Sandman tightened the grip.

“Urk! Why bother asking? You’re about to die to the Bogmires, anyway.”

“AGH!” Nolan was suddenly grabbed by two oozing claws that looked like combs, forced to let go of the clown. A black, blobby ghost with yellow eyes started gnawing at Nolan’s back, but the Sandman quickly elbowed it repeatedly and made it dissolve. Other such ghosts emerged from the fog, so Nolan grappled up to a rooftop to escape. “Bogmires?! Who would let THOSE monsters loose in a city?”

“Bassie?! Bassie, is that you?!” Sandman turned to find a strange man with a creepy grin. He had green eyes behind red glasses, long red hair, and wore a butler’s uniform. He also wielded a chainsaw. “Wait… you’re not Bassie. What a shame. After hearing the name Phantomhive, I thought for sure he’d…”

“So, you know who they are as well. Tell me where the Phantomhives live.”

“Oh, want to find Bassie, do you? I don’t think I like the sound of that.”

“I don’t have time for games.”

“TOO BAD! You’ll never catch Grell Sutcliff!” The man bolted and started hopping rooftops.

“HEY! GET BACK HERE!” Nolan raced after the stranger, swinging from building to building with the grappling hook.

 _“Eh, Mr. York? What are you doing?”_ Carol asked.

“What does it look like, I’m chasing a guy with a chainsaw!”

_“I don’t see a guy with a chainsaw.”_

“Are you kidding, he’s right in front of me!”

“Nolan, have you been seeing OTHER hallucinations behind my back?!” Revan questioned. “I feel so betrayed!”

Nolan grappled a rooftop that was three stories high and used the Grapnel Boost to propel himself up with great momentum. He locked his sights on the stranger and glided after him with greater speed. He acquired enough momentum to perform a Glide Takedown. “AAAAHH!” Grell was grabbed by the neck as Sandman did a midair flip, pinning him against a roof.

“I don’t have time to waste! Tell me where the Phantomhives are!”

“Oh, heavens! For a mortal, you’re very strong!”

“Mortal?” Sandman used Detective Vision. The stranger was not detected. “Wait a minute… you’re a spirit?”

“MORE THAN A SPIRIT!” Grell kicked him off and flipped behind Sandman. “I’m a Reaper! And I smelled lots of death happening tonight!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Well, someone who’s looking for Bassie is just asking to die.” Grell said with a toothy grin. His teeth were shark-like. “You want to visit Phantomhive Manor? Then head for the Misty Woods. And while you’re there, clear out those nasty ghosts for me.” He seemed to reach into Pocket Space and yank out a red vacuum backpack, chucking it into Sandman’s arms. “And once Bassie warms up with you, I’ll catch him in full heat! Mue he he he he he he!” He whirred up his chainsaw and cut a portal into the roof, diving in and vanishing.

**Sandman got the _Poltergust 5000_! This powerful vacuum can suck in fog and the ghosts that dwell within! It can also suck in elemental spirits and squirt out those elements.**

_“Uh, Mr. York? Hellooooo? You done talking to yourself?”_

“I was talking to a Reaper. He was a spirit, so you couldn’t see him from where you are. But I think I know where Ciel lives now. I’m heading to Misty Woods.”

_“Okay, then. Those should be to the east. Just be careful, Mr. York. You’ve been acting a bit strange lately…”_

Nolan spotted the Misty Woods in the distance, having to glide across the river and over a few more buildings. The ground on the edge of the woods was clear of fog, and a large fence seemed to keep back the fog in the forest. Nolan decided to pass the fence via the entrance, using his newfound Poltergust to slurp in the fog on a massive scale. “Impressive gadget. Navigating the forest should be a lot easier now-”

 _“Nuuuu-uuuuuh…”_ It began when a cat’s paw sprouted out of the ground. The corpse of a cat, a dog, a toad, a few platypuses, and other such animals moaned eerily as they limped toward Sandman on their hind legs. Sandman kicked the zombies away with Armament Haki, but whenever the animals reached him, they would climb up to his head and attempt to chew on his brain. Sandman was quick to grab and throw them off, stomping the animals into dust afterwards.

 _“Oh, here’s a fun fact: the Misty Woods is where rich people buried their dead pets.”_ Carol read.

“That explains their snazzy outfits.”

_“I might pay a visit here once all the ghosts are gone. There’s, uh, a certain canary I’ve been meaning to dispose of.”_

After crushing all the zombies, Sandman cleared through some bushes and arrived at a short ledge over a river. He could easily glide across the river and grapple to the other side, but once he was in the fog, he was instantly attacked by Bogmires. He aggressively shook them off, but had no time to draw his Poltergust before they were on him again. He quickly jumped back off and grappled back to the other side. “Fine. I’ll go the long way.”

Sandman journeyed toward the left and crossed a stone bridge, which had three gargoyle statues in the center. As he expected, the gargoyles jumped to life and attacked him with stone spears. One of them jabbed its spear, but he jumped and forced it down before punching it in the face with Armament. Nolan knocked the gargoyle down, then quickly sprayed Explosive Gel on it to destroy it, releasing the Possessor Nightmare that was inside. Nolan flipped behind the second gargoyle, sprayed its back, and destroyed it, and for the third one, he grabbed its head in Armament hands and tore it off.

Near the end of the bridge, Nolan found some large rocks by a Riddler Trophy. He noticed a green ring moving around in the water. Putting two and two together, he picked up a rock and threw it into the ring. The cage opened and the trophy was won. Afterwards, he continued through the forest and sucked in more fog. He passed by some ruins and decrepit wooden signs that pointed to Riddles before coming upon the grounds of a mansion.

Nolan activated Detective Vision and detected three people around the vicinity. One of them was on the roof and holding a sniper rifle, another was patrolling by the front, and the other was in the garden. “Only three guards? This is too easy.”

 _“W – t y-u say? M-t-r Y-rk – I – c-n’t-”_ There was static on the other end.

“Carol? Carol?” Nolan tapped his mask. “Must be interference. No matter…”

“’ey, Baldroy! You don’t think any more of those monsters will come our way, do ya?” yelled the man in the garden. He sounded like a boy with a high voice.

“Keep your undergarments on, Finnian.” yelled the man in front. He was blonde and smoking a cigarette. “Oi, Mey-Rin, you see anything?”

“I got fog all over me glasses!” yelled the roof sniper, a maid with foggy glasses and magenta hair in pigtails. “I’m blinder than a bat with earplugs,” Sandman grappled up to the roof, “yes a bat with earplugs I’m blinder than, yes sir indeed I am.” Nolan grabbed her from behind and sprayed gas in her face. The maid peacefully fell unconscious.

Baldroy appeared to be easy prey from Sandman’s post, gliding down to him from the darkness and gassing the servant before he ever knew what hit him. Nolan then made his way to the back and saw Finnian walking out of the small greenhouse. “BALDROY? MEY-RIN? Yoohoooooo?” Nolan crept up with the utmost certainty that he could knock out the unsuspecting servant. “You aren’t trying to scare me, are you?” Nolan was a second away from gassing him. “I don’t like being SCARED!” Finnian whipped around and KICKED Nolan across the yard.

When he recovered, Nolan saw Finnian dashing toward him, quickly raising his Armament hands to defend from Finnian’s superhuman punches. Nolan was able to grab his hands and tried to squeeze them, but they were surprisingly thick, so he hardened his head and dealt a headbutt to knock the servant down. “AH!” Nolan yelped when a bullet pierced his arm.

“Nice shot, Mey-Rin!” Baldroy praised, marching up with his own gun. “He thought ’e could waltz into our own base and crown us in the knickers. We ain’t like your usual thuggies, are we?”

Nolan saw the maid on the roof. She had removed her glasses, revealing her sharp eyes. “Gassin’ me in the face when my back was turned, I feel so violated! He made me brain all mushy, like them bad sausages I ate, yes I talk like this because I ate some bad sausages, bad sausages yes indeed I ate.” Nolan dodged the woman’s bullets, but was grazed in the shoulder, and he then decided to grapple up to the roof. Mey-Rin jumped away, going to a gun compartment and switching to a Shockwave Shotgun. By shooting the roof, she caused a quake that made Nolan slip, allowing her to shoot him off.

The second he hit the ground, Baldroy pushed a remote that detonated a landmine from under Nolan. The smoke cleared to reveal he was still intact. “Bet ya didn’t notice my landmines before? I had them all in Sleep Mode, but I reckon now’s the time to use ’em. Seein’ as you survived, I ain’t joking around no more.”

Nolan used Detective Vision to track the mines, which were littered all over the yard. “…Except in there!” Nolan used the Line Launcher to zip over to the greenhouse and break inside.

“NOOO! Not my garden!” Finnian rushed over. “I worked all day on those plants! Please, don’t!” Ignoring his pleas, Nolan grabbed a flower pot and tossed it over his head. “NOOO!” When Finnian turned to catch it, Nolan shot his grappling hook to yank him over, swing a more forceful punch across his head, ending with a punch-down to knock him out cold.

Baldroy tried to shoot him, but Nolan shot him with the Shock Rod to briefly stun him, then Line Launched toward the manor with Baldroy in the path. He caught the man between the legs and pulled him along as they crashed against the manor. Nolan slammed his head against the wall and knocked Baldroy out. He saw Mey-Rin staying clear from the roof’s edge, so he threw a Remote Boomerang and steered it around the manor. He then steered it above the roof and hit the chimney, scaring Mey-Rin toward the edge as she about-faced. Nolan grappled up, grabbed the maid, and pulled her off, letting her hang upside-down by a rope.

“’EY! You don’t just leave a woman hangin’ like an old pair of boxers! The whole world can see my panties, they can see my panties is what they see, you know!”

“Sigh… still can’t contact Carol. Ciel is her teammate, maybe he can call her. Better do the polite thing and take the front door…” Nolan glided down to the front and entered the manor.

**? The Heir of Phantomhive sure is proud, his looks standing out from the crowd. ?**

The foyer had only a chandelier to give it light, otherwise it was almost completely dark. “So, Mr. York…” Nolan faced up the foyer stairs as a spotlight shone on someone: he was a 13-year-old boy in noble attire, an eyepatch over his right eye, bluish-black hair, and a wonderfully proportioned body. “I see you decided to show yourself in. I must congratulate you. Defeating a Phantomhive servant isn’t easy, let alone three.”

“Ciel Phantomhive… why were the townspeople saying you were dead?”

“Perhaps they merely mistook me as one of the ghosts.”

“Or maybe…” Nolan switched on Detective Vision. “Your body isn’t human.”

A card flew out of the darkness and hit the side of Nolan’s mask, forcing his vision off. “It isn’t polite to violate one’s privacy.” A butler walked out of the darkness. His sleek black hair went beautifully with his uniform, contrasting with his pale skin.

Nolan glanced down at the card and realized it was a business card. He picked it up and read it. “‘Sebastian Michaelis – Black Butler’?”

“By making it here, you have passed the first part of my test.” Ciel said. “This will be the second part: you must defeat my butler in battle.”

“I never agreed to any test! You said you had information on Kelvin Renbourn!”

“I never said those exact words. I only heard you were interested in the man and decided to use that interest to lure you here. That’s not to say that I don’t have information. But I first must see if you deserve it. Defeat my butler in battle and I shall tell you.”

“Have it your way. Because he’s going to be sore in the morning.”

“I’m afraid you have it backwards, Mr. York.” Sebastian said. “You’ll find that I am one _hell_ of a butler.” (Play “Monochrome Kiss” by Sid!)

 

_Boss fight: Sebastian Michaelis_

Hardening his hands, Nolan threw punches at Sebastian, the butler dodging each one with grace before kicking Nolan off his feet. Nolan tried to grab his legs, but Sebastian leaped overhead and threw two cards into his legs. “Agh!” Nolan pulled the cards out, fighting the pain and getting back on his feet. Sebastian flew into the darkness, so Nolan used Detective Vision to trace him. Sebastian flew out from his left, pouncing the Sandman like a panther, and yanking his gas mask right off as he flipped over Nolan again.

“A man must be able to look his opponent in the eye.” Sebastian said, tossing the mask away. “And I feel the most fragrant scent radiating from your soul.” Sebastian danced over and locked hands with Nolan, who dodged his head left and right when Sebastian kicked up at him. Nolan pulled his left hand free and twirled around the butler, kicking at Sebastian’s stomach, the butler falling back, flipping back to his feet, and leaping high as he threw bladed cards at Nolan.

Nolan used Haki to protect from them, trying to catch Sebastian as he fell, but the butler tugged the sides of his garb to use as a glider, flying over Sandman like a bat. Sebastian skied back into the darkness, Nolan searching desperately for him, and then out Sebastian flew, cutting Nolan’s hip with his own gloved fingers. “You’re embarrassing us BOTH, Nolan!” Revan shouted. “Use psychicbending! It’s the only way we can beat him! And if you die here, you’ll NEVER stop Affright!”

“Oh, my.” Sebastian said, staring at his blood-soaked gloves. “It seems I will have to wash these again.” With that, he removed the gloves.

Nolan’s mismatched eyes shone blue and yellow. “If that’s how you wanna play it,” he removed his Chi-block Gauntlets, “you’re gonna wish you played nice!”

“Beautiful…” Sebastian gave a gorgeous smile, his eyes brimming scarlet. Both fighters burned with powerful aura, blasting to each other like rockets, their fists and feet striking with the force of cannons. Nolan flew to the ceiling and threw a circle of Psycho Spheres down at him, Sebastian staying in the center, but the butler gasped when Nolan chopped off the candlelit chandelier.

Time seemed to slow down to the butler as he leapt up and grabbed hold of the chandelier while it was falling. He licked his hands and touched each and every candle to put them out, for he couldn’t let his master’s precious home turn to cinders. Once he was finished, Sebastian jumped out of the chandelier and grabbed the end of its chain, twirling in midair before tossing it up to its hanging spot. Sebastian landed on the floor and quickly leapt up to grab both severed ends of the chain, holding them together and blowing gum to reattach them.

As Nolan and Revan watched this act, they used Aura Sense to examine him. Both Sebastian and Ciel emitted dark auras, and there seemed to be an invisible chain between them. _What is this link between them? This… unseverable bond?_ Revan thought as they returned to combat. _I can feel it. His thoughts as he was saving the chandelier. His deep desire to protect this house. His desire to protect… him._ He glanced up at Ciel. _Of course! That look in his eyes… This beautiful feeling… it’s the very same bond… that WE have, Nolan!_

The two broke apart. “Then let’s test if that’s true!” Nolan drew out a hidden candle he had stole from the chandelier. Using psychic, he lifted the candle along with a gas pellet. Sebastian frowned, sensing his intended trajectory. With the speed of a bullet, he threw the items at Ciel, and as Sebastian rushed up to his master, the candle made contact with the gas and exploded.

Sebastian leapt out of the smoke with his master wrapped safely in his arms. He landed on the base floor and faced Sandman again. “Enough. This battle is over. …You have passed.” Ciel said.

Nolan reclaimed his Chi Gloves and put them on. “Of course. Nothing defeats a butler like failing to keep the place tidy.” (End song.)

Sebastian grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire above the stairway. “Well, Mr. York… it seems I have misjudged you. You are more dangerous than you look. Which is why you will be perfect for this mission.” Ciel said.

“You’re really testing my patience, Ciel.”

“Patience. You wish to find Kelvin Renbourn, correct? Then you and I have a common enemy. Baron Kelvin… is a name I have not heard in a long time. You may have noticed the circus is in town.”

“Yeah, I beat up some clowns outside.”

“Indeed… announcements have been ringing nonstop. Here is one of them.” Ciel pushed a remote and activated a stereo.

_“Strange creatures crowding the streets?! Men with more than two arms?!  Don’t worry! Things like these are perfectly natural here at Noah’s Ark Circus! Why does this chicken have a giraffe’s face?! Why is this man half-blob?! Will I actually answer these questions? Of course not! But you still have to see them to believe them! Come see the Noah’s Ark Circus, now based in London!”_

Ciel switched it off, clutching the side of his head. “I swear that voice sounded just like his.” he spoke with rage. “Just hearing it makes me lose my mind! And now I know for sure… it’s definitely him!”

“What did this man _do_ to you?”

Ciel turned away. “That doesn’t matter. But mark my words, he is a terrible man. And since he is tied to your mission, you and Sebastian are going to infiltrate the Noah’s Ark Circus and bring him to justice.”

“I don’t just let anyone work for me.”

“Sebastian should be _more_ than qualified. What could he possibly be lacking?”

“How about a grappling hook, a Line Launcher, Explosive Ge-… eh…” Nolan cut himself off when Sebastian opened his suit, revealing a collection of gadgets.

“Now, if I wasn’t equipped with all the latest vigilante gadgets, what kind of butler would I be?”

“I rest my case. Sebastian, you are now Mr. York’s assistant. You will do as he instructs until the mission is complete. Is that clear?”

“I will do as you wish, My Lord. Is that alright with you, Mr. York?”

“Not yet. I want to test your skills in the field first. And believe me, the bar was raised big time.” Nolan answered, thinking of Misaka.

“Sebastian can pass your test with ease. Just make sure you start the mission soon. …Oh, and if you could, there are these green question marks-”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll do the Riddler… when I have time. Speaking of which…” Nolan searched around for this room’s Riddle solution. He found a framed photo of the Sector $ team: Carol Masterson, Weiss Schnee, Prince Raleigh, Pacifica Northwest, and Ciel himself. Compared to the brightness and vibrance of the other four, Ciel Phantomhive was more dark and glum. Indeed, his looks stood out from the crowd, and he snapped the Riddle.

“We must not keep our Young Lord waiting.” Sebastian said.

“I know. …But are you and him… really…”

“You need not be concerned. I assure you we bare no ill will. But do keep it a secret, will you?” Sebastian sported a smile. “He will come out with it when the time comes.”

“If you say so. Let’s go.”

**Somewhere dark**

The dining room was lit by only three candles. There were two plates of food, but only one man seemed present. His head wrapped in bandages, only his manic eyes and teeth were visible. He was fondling a birdcage close to his husky body. _“My prince… My prince… Where is my prince…”_

He heard the door open and looked up. Affright had come to visit him. “The Sandman has just arrived. Tell me you still have the girl.”

“Is he coming?! Is my prince coming back to me?”

“Don’t worry. I will bring the boy to you. But I can’t risk the Sandman reclaiming your prisoner… so, if you don’t mind.” Affright aimed Horror’s Hand at the birdcage and released Nightmare Toxin.

“Hehehehehehehe…!” The man’s eyes turned bloodshot as he held the cage up to his face, staring closely at Haruka’s tiny form. “Ciel… Ciel!… I waited 200 years… 200 long, lonely years… None of these children filled the hole that you left…” He reached a finger in and gently poked Haruka, whereas her body and expression remained as stiff as a doll. “No… they were only the appetizer… They were only practice… But when you come here, Ciel… I will treasure you like an extremely rare diamond… and keep you on my being… always…always… _always_ …”

 

**Yeah, I really need to get back in the game. Gotta post a dozen chapters before Christmas is over. Lol not that many, but a decent amount. So, this entire level is _Black Butler_ based! I gotta watch more of this series.**


	7. His Butler, An Optimist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandman and Black Butler search for Baron Kelvin Renbourn by infiltrating Noah's Ark Circus.

**How lucky am I that the only two people reading this story are fans of Baron Kelvin? XD**

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Chapter 7: His Butler, An Optimist

_**

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**London**

“’ey, it’s the Sandman! Get him, clowns!” A group of seven clowns drew their balloon weapons and ran to strike. To their surprise, Sebastian Michaelis landed in the middle of the group, kicking two clowns to his left and right. He quickly jabbed at a clown’s balloon shield to pop it, then quickly punched his face a few times to knock him down. Sandman dealt a Ground Takedown on the clown, and when another one came up behind him, Nolan kicked back and kicked up to fling him overhead.

“Sebastian, on you!” The clown flew to Sebastian, who caught him between the legs and did a midair twirl before smashing the clown into the ground. Sebastian did a karate chop to disarm another clown, followed by a quick chop to the head to knock him out. He faced a clown that was about to cross a sewer lid, so he quickly lifted the lid, bashed the clown with it, and made him fall headfirst into the sewer. His puffy suit caused him to get stuck, but Sebastian slammed the sewer lid on his behind, anyway.

Nolan tossed boomerangs to dizzy two of the other clowns, going to beat one of them into submission. The other clown recovered, but Sebastian stylishly tossed a kitchen knife, the base of the knife hitting the clown’s head and dizzying him. Nolan could then knock him unconscious, and so the only clown left was the Riddler Informant. “Give. Now. Riddles. Talk! Else! Or!”

“Kay! O!”

“If you insist.” Nolan knocked him out. “Wellp, that’s three groups of thugs. You’ve certainly seen your share of combat.”

“Indeed, but it’s always good to have some extra experience points.”

“True that.” Nolan reached into his coat and pulled out Sebastian’s business card. “So… you’re a Black Butler. But what is a Black Butler, exactly?”

“It is a business that was created in medieval times. I am sure, by now, you have determined I am not human. The Black Butlers are a group of demons who appear before any mortal who has gone under terrible emotional crisis. We are trained to follow any order and ensure our master’s protection. We establish a contract with our masters and serve them until the day we consume their soul. Unfortunately, due to the incident with my master, King Malladus ordered the business to be shut down.”

“The incident with your master, huh?” Nolan thought he could piece the rest together.

“Correct. And because of that, my contract was never completed, and I remain a servant to the Earl Phantomhive. I am the last of the Black Butlers.”

“So depressing.” Nolan said sarcastically. “Reminds me of these two fairies who served a 10-year-old boy. He’s about 60 years old now. And he still has them.”

“Oh, yes, _Fairly OddParents_. I despise that show. They make butlering look easy. …Now that I think about it, if we are going to be superheroes, perhaps ‘Black Butler’ could be my Hero Name.”

“We’re more like vigilantes, but that is a pretty cool name. Look sharp, Black Butler.”

“As always, Sandman. By the way, I was thinking _this_ could be my mask.” Sebastian slapped on a black cat mask.

“Now you look like Catman.”

Nolan heard static in his communicator. _“-rk… Mr. York. Can you hear me?”_

“Carol! I was getting worried…”

_“It’s okay. I guess you just got bad reception in that forest. Anyway, I’ve been monitoring the town from the satellite. I couldn’t find anything on Kelvin Renbourn, but I did spot something… unusual. Go to this location.”_

Coordinates were marked on Nolan’s map, so they grappled up buildings and flew to the spot in question. To their shock, where it seemed like a building should go, there was a large pool of wavy red goop. “If my memory serves me correctly, there is supposed to be a clothing store here.” Sebastian said. The butler bent down and wiped some goop onto his fingers. “This goop appears to have magical properties. But I wonder if it cannot be simply washed off?”

“I don’t know about washing, but I do have this vacuum.” Nolan extracted the Poltergust 5000.

“A Poltergust? Sandman, suck in some water from the river!” Nolan looked to the nearby river and aimed his vacuum at it. A small water bubble spirit with yellow eyes flew up from the liquid and into the vacuum. “I knew it! You’ve just captured a Water Spirit.”

“Water Spirit? Are those common?”

“Of course. Element Spirits can exist wherever there is chi. Essentially, they are concentrated forms of that chi. Why, they can even exist in your very saliva.”

“Well, my head’s gonna be hurting all night.”

“The Poltergust is designed to capture these spirits and inherit their elemental properties. Use the water to wash away this goop. If you need more, there’s plenty to spare.” Nolan sighed and lightly sprayed around the goop as if he were watering a garden. Eventually, all the goop was gone.

The area began to rumble, so Nolan and Sebastian instinctively ran off the foundation. A building sprouted from the ground, the clothing store that the butler mentioned. Immediately afterward, somebody burst out of the window and landed on her feet—a little blonde girl in a red hood, holding a large paintbrush staff, and had a mustache. “WELL, if it isn’t the Sandman! The Brotherhood’s told me all about you!”

“Who are you?”

“SHUT UP! You’ll never catch me!” The girl bolted down the street, leaving a trail of goop with her staff.

_“Mr. York! That girl is the Mustache Girl! She was a prisoner in the Arctic Base!”_

“An escaped convict, huh? Butler, after her!” Sandman and Sebastian gave chase, the former spraying water on the goop path. Mustache Girl ran up to a group of clowns, swiftly painting an “M” on the ground that forced the clowns to sink inside. Nolan took a moment to clean the goop and free the clowns, and Mustache Girl was Wall Jumping to the rooftops. Nolan and Sebastian grappled up and kept chasing, the two throwing boomerangs and kitchen knives to make her slow down.

Mustache Girl jumped back into the street and made quick strokes of goop along the path, catching more unfortunate clowns. Nolan took the time to free them while Sebastian continued pursuit. The butler chased her through some alleyways, easily avoiding her goop traps, and since Nolan could track their location, he took his own route overhead. Sebastian tricked Mustache Girl into running out to the street, then Sandman was able to drop on her. “’ey! Let go of me!” The child struggled.

“You’re going back to prison, brat!”

“The heck I will! You haven’t seen the last-a me!” The girl bonked Nolan with her staff and stroked a rainbow “M” on the ground, jumping inside. Nolan tried to spray the goop, but his vacuum was out of water.

_Side Mission: Mustachio on the Loose: Clean up large pools of goop to restore buildings and catch the Mustache Girl._

Nolan held up his wristwatch and brought up Carol’s image. “Carol, I lost sight of the Mustache Girl. Keep an eye out for any large pools of goop like the one just now.”

_“That’s assuming your quest will take you to the towns she visits.”_

“Also, I recognize the staff she was wielding: it was the very same one Bowser, Jr. wielded 23 years ago.”

_“Interesting. Based on my records, April Goldenweek from Sector W7 met Bowser, Jr. during the 3-year Voyage. He took her to Prism Island in the Mushroom Kingdom, where she became a master painter.”_

_“Hello, Mr. York.”_ Ciel’s image appeared. _“Hope you’re having fun on your side quests, but need I remind you of the mission at hand? Get going to Noah’s Ark! And another thing… I would like you to disconnect with Carol during this mission.”_

_“What?! Why, Ciel?”_

_“I don’t want you to overhear anything private between Sandman and I. Do not worry. I will serve as the bridge between you two and report if anything serious happens. Is that all right with you?”_

“Sigh… Fine. See you later, Carol.”

_“I’m sorry, Mr. York. He’s really stubborn, isn’t he?”_

“Alright, then… let’s head to the circus.”

“Hm, not in this getup, certainly. We need to be dressed for the part. Thankfully, I already asked someone to prepare uniforms for us. This way, Mr. York.” Sandman followed him to another dark alley, with stairs leading to a low ground. Revan was standing beside the door they were going to.

“So, let me get this straight: this butler is supposed to follow any order you give him? …Nolan, I triple dog dare you to say, ‘Buttle my ***. BUTTLE IT, I SAY!’”

The door led to a small, dark shop with a counter and a strange man with long grey hair, a black coat, and top-hat. “Excuse me? Mr. Undertaker?”

“Who wants to know?” The second he turned, he seemed to shrink to half his height, and had a bigger, rounder head.

“A-A-A-ACK!” Nolan choked, immediately recognizing him.

“I was wondering if our costumes were ready?” Sebastian inquired.

“You bet! They’re hangin’ up right there.”

“YOU’RE THAT DAMN ALIEN WITH ALL THE DISGUISES!” Nolan shouted accusingly. “Freaking Roger!”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. My name is Alex Hammershed, and I make coffins and sell Halloween costumes to goth girls. You know any girls who would like a Jack Skellington skin suit? I got three of them.”

“Here is your money.” Sebastian placed the money on the counter.

“Thanks, but I also need you to pass on this note.” Roger handed the butler a paper. “It’s for a guy called Masque, saying ‘This was not the role Gamewizard was talking about.’”

Nolan and Sebastian donned their circus uniforms: Sebastian was a mime with a small ponytail, white makeup, black eyeliner, and a skeleton suit, while Nolan was a clown with green makeup, pickle eyeliner, and pickles sticking out of his nose. “Your name is Emime, the Emo Mime,” Roger said to Sebastian, “and your name is Picklehead, the Pickle-Addicted Clown.” he said to Nolan. “I also wrote your backstories.”

“That won’t be necessary. If we follow Sandman’s protocol, we will go with a stealthy approach.” Sebastian left first. “Come, Picklehead.”

“Yes. We have to avoid using these names as much as possible.”

 **Noah’s Ark Circus** (Play “Mossrock Theater” from _Paper Mario: Color Splash_.)

Deep in the core of the fog, beyond the outskirts of town, stood the Noah’s Ark Circus. There was a distinct archway that signified the entrance to the grounds, though one could enter from anywhere. Sandman and Sebastian calmly strolled up to the arch’s guard, a boy with short brown hair, a lightweight jacket with two undershirts, and brown trousers. Only his right eye was exposed, while the left was hidden behind bangs.

“Hello. Are you returning from the street patrol?”

“Ahem, yes. …I’m Picklehead the Pickle Clown. This is Emime the Emo Mime.” Sebastian made hand gestures to prove he is, indeed, a mime.

“I didn’t need your names or anything. There’s too many of you to keep track of.” He chuckled. “…Uh-oh. It’s time for my performance soon. Better get ready.” He ran off.

“That was lucky. But some of these other clowns might ask who we are. Let’s keep out of sight, Butler.”

“Agreed. However, I doubt our Ringleader will just expose himself out in the open. Let’s keep our ears open.”

Nolan and Sebastian were able to stay hidden in the fog, keeping their distance from the other performers. There was a clown juggling with six arms while his upper-body slowly rotated. The duo stayed behind his head and snuck past him. They came to a small field of Fennekins, small foxlike Pokémon that were blowing flames directly upward, lifting mini hot-air balloons that unicyclists were balancing on. The flames would shrink every few moments, lowering the balloons, but they would rise up again when the flames grew larger. The heroes used that time to sneak between the Fennekins, unseen by the cyclists.

The entrance to the tent was guarded by two Siamese twin clowns, attached via their bellies. Sandman and Sebastian crept behind their own clown and performed a simultaneous Silent Takedown: Sandman used the gas from his gloves and Sebastian used a cloth of chloroform. The duo entered the tent, and the first room was filled with round-shaped clowns with tiny legs, balancing on giant, rolling steaks. Since the clowns were so round, the heroes could sneak between the steaks and move with them without being seen. They got close to an air vent on the floor and quickly slipped inside.

“Sandman, is it not weird to you that air ducts line a circus tent?”

“There are things we don’t question in this job, Black Butler.”

The duct became vertical, requiring them to grapple up. The duct took them to the next room, coming out on the platforms above wooden poles. The ground below was filled with spikes, and a performer appeared to be balancing on some tightropes: she wore a white dress and white shoes with white roses over the toes, and her fluffy white hair looked like roses. While keeping her perfect posture, she was flipping patties on a hanging stove with one hand and stirring soup in a hanging pot with her other hand.

Nolan and Sebastian grappled to another platform higher up the pole. They used the Line Launcher to reach the next platform, then take it to the platform above the entrance to the next room. Of course, this room was actually a long passage where trapezes were swinging over a pit while daggers were being thrown left and right from windows. Naturally, their mission was to swing the trapezes and quickly jump, lest the daggers hit them. They landed safely at the end, but found a fork in the road: another trapeze passage or a completely empty room where a girl was standing in the center.

“That room doesn’t appear to go anywhere.” Sebastian said.

“Wait a second… that girl is a Misaka Clone!” Nolan exclaimed.

“A what?”

“Sebastian, we have to save her. It’s for a friend of mine.”

“Hold on, Sandman. It may look empty, but there are thousands of traps. I recognize the smell of tripwires and infrared lasers anywhere.”

“I see. I hate to say it, but sensing things is difficult without my mask.”

“I recommend going to Butler School. You might find you’re quite good at it. In any case, leave this to me.” With that, Sebastian danced into the room and nimbly flipped and slipped past each and every wire and invisible laser.

The butler made it to the center, and Misaka asked, “‘Are you the Level 6 subject,’ asks Misaka, surprised by his charming appearance.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I appreciate the compliment. Remain still.” Sebastian hugged and held onto her as he dodged his way through the traps once more. He made it back to Sandman and set the girl on her feet. “All finished.”

“Good. Unfortunately, we need to contact GUN to take her to safety, and it’ll be trouble to keep her with us.”

At that instant, a claw reached down from the tent’s ceiling, and Sebastian threw the Misaka into it. The claw carried her up and out of the tent. “I sent a quick text to GUN the moment you desired to save her, and demanded they get here in exactly 60 seconds. A good butler thinks ahead, you know.”

“Uh… Good. Anyway, these trapezes seem to be electrified. I honestly don’t see what point these have other than to hold us back.”

“These shan’t be too hard for me to cross. Could you perhaps cut the ropes with your boomerangs?”

“Okay.” Nolan quickly tossed twin boomerangs to cut each pair of ropes. The second the ropes were cut, the electricity stopped flowing, and Sebastian seized the chance to swing the falling trapezes. Once on the other side, Sebastian pulled a lever that made a bridge stretch over to Sandman’s side. Sandman joined his partner and said, “Gotta hand it to ya: you are one hell of a butler.”

This passage led to a walkway outside the tent. They had view of a cliff, where young children were climbing a ladder up to another tent. Clown guards were stationed beside that ladder. “This way, children.” An Irish performer said, directing the children into the tent. He had spiked red hair and wore a purple jacket. “Once you step through here, Wonderland is but a ride away. Alright, that’s the last of them. No one else gets up that ladder, you two!” The man entered the tent last.

“Aye, Joker.” The guards chorused.

However, since they weren’t looking up, Nolan and Sebastian could easily Line Launch over. “Mr. York, isn’t this an odd setup?”

“Indeed…” This entire tent was built under a gigantic birdcage. The duo shared nods and entered. At first, the tent was completely dark, until a spotlight shone on the Irish man.

“So, you’re here already, are ya? Dyin’ to see Father, eh? Well, don’t think we’ll let you come quietly, eh Doll?”

A light shone on the girl with white rose hair. “You thought a pathetic disguise like that would be enough to fool us? You should curse the person who sold you those drabs.” (Play “Enamel” by Sid!)

The entire circus lit up. They were surrounded by other performers, like a woman in a revealing black bodice, a boy in black-and-white clothes and daggers, and a bald and shirtless man with torches. “Then let’s start the show!” the dagger boy declared. He tossed the first blade, but Sebastian caught it and threw it base-first against his head.

The bald man, Jumbo, swallowed a torch and blew fire as he chased the Sandman, but he flipped behind the fire-eater and tossed a gas grenade to explode on him. The bodice woman, Beast, lashed a whip at Sandman, but he easily dodged and grabbed the whip, whirled the woman around the air and threw her elsewhere. Dagger tossed daggers at Sebastian, but the butler easily countered with his knives before flipping over and kicking the boy in the face.

Jumbo recovered and charged Sandman, tackling him to the ground and punching him. Sandman grabbed his arms and wrestled him onto his back, punching him with Haki twice before Jumbo kicked him off. Nolan was cut from behind by the Irish man, Joker, wielding a knife. Nolan elbowed him and yanked the knife out, then yanked Joker over with the grappling hook to deal a takedown. Beast tried to whip Sebastian, and the butler let himself be wrapped up as he danced over to Beast and gave her a deep kiss. The woman flushed and lost focus, giving Sebastian the chance to grab his chloroform cloth and knock her out.

Nolan tossed boomerangs at Jumbo, who swatted them away before swallowing another torch. When he blew the flames, Nolan sucked them into his Poltergust. He dodged when Jumbo charged at him, then Nolan blasted fireballs to knock the man out. Sebastian grabbed ten of Dagger’s blades and tossed them all back at once, immediately knocking him out with their combined force. The only performer left was Doll, who stood all the way across the tent with two guns.

“Father said you two were dangerous, but… I’ve never seen anyone like you. You two are monsters! I won’t let you get away! You’ll PAY for hurting my-!”

She was hit in the back of the head by a baseball bat. Behind her was Roger. Doll tried to get up, but Roger hit her again and knocked her out. “Don’t EVER insult my disguises again or I’ll BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!” On that note, the alien left.

“Well… that helped.” Nolan figured. (End song.)

As if on cue, the tent began shaking. “Oh, dear. I fear we may have walked into a trap.” Sebastian said.

Nolan put his mask on and switched on Detective Vision. Towering over the tent were the X-rayed forms of two giants. Nolan and Sebastian peeked outside the curtains. Two more performers, a boy and a girl, were holding the birdcage that the tent was inside. “You think Joker and the others took them out by now, Wendy?” the boy asked as they walked, the cage swaying to and fro.

“Sure they have, Peter. It was two against five, and even if they didn’t, there’s no way out of this cage. Baron Kelvin will be delighted to see their bodies!”

The two heroes retreated back inside. “It seems we have somehow been miniaturized, Mr. York. Unless these two happen to be Giants.”

“Whatever the case, it sounds like they’re taking us to Kelvin. This kind of works in our favor. We’ll wait in here until they decide to release us.”

“Do you think we can fight them in such a state as we are in?”

“What kind of hero would I be if I couldn’t?”

“Hm hm. Of course, Master York.”

**Renbourn Manor**

Peter and Wendy arrived at a mansion in the middle of nowhere. They set the birdcage on the ground several meters away from the entrance and made some distance between it. “We’re back, Father!” Wendy called. “We’ve brought the children! The enemies you talked about are in there, too; they should be dead by now!”

_“Excellent! Now, Master Affright will bring me my prince!”_

The cage shook and suddenly expanded in size, the tent returning to normal. “Joker!” Peter called, entering the tent with Wendy. “We’ve arrived at… eh?!” Their fellow performers were unconscious. Sandman and Sebastian ambushed the two and knocked them senseless as well.

“Let’s get to the bottom of this.” Nolan stated. The duo left the cage and forcefully kicked open the door to Renbourn Manor. By this time, they had changed back into their regular clothes.

A trail of candles led up a stairwell. Calm, relaxing circus music echoed throughout the home. Children were cleaning the floors and dusting the furniture, showing absolutely no soul in their eyes. The two followed the candles upstairs and found a dining room with two plates. The food was nicely prepared, but it had long gone cold. Children were doing circus acts on a stage. A boy was juggling torches—a flame burned him in the eye and his head caught flame. A boy tossed daggers to a spinning wheel with a girl strapped to it—the girl was stabbed.

“Sebastian, knock them out!” Nolan ordered. The butler swiftly dealt with the mindless kids before any more harm could befall them. “This is horrible… What on earth happened to them?”

_“Ha ha ha ha! Yes! More! MORE!”_

This playful laughter came from the next room. With fear building in his heart, Nolan slowly approached the door and entered.

“HA HA HA HAAAA!” Nolan had never been so disgusted: an obese man with a bandaged face and red clothes was sitting on a throne while a brainwashed child was… well, he appeared to be… “Yes! Buttle it! Buttle it GOOD! MWAH HA HA HAAAAA!”

“Ew. Nolan, I am deeply, truly sorry for making that dare.” Revan said with disgust.

“Hee hee hee hee! Yes! Now, I am ready! I am ready for my prince! Now, away with you!” The child left.

“You…” Nolan felt he was unable to hold back. “You sick SON OF A-!” The minute he and Sebastian stormed in, a giant birdcage came down and captured them.

“Ahhhh, guests… honored guests… please, please come in. Make yourselves at home…”

“A giant birdcage.” Nolan observed. “Very comfortable.”

“Birdies are such lovely things, aren’t they?” The man picked up a smaller birdcage, softly brushing it. “They long for sweet freedom, but alas, it is beyond their reach. Such fragile little things… so beautiful…”

Nolan used Detective Vision to examine the “bird” in the cage. “That isn’t a bird… it’s a person! And it’s…!” The person’s body was scanned, and a name displayed in his goggles. “HARUKA!!”

“Mr. Affright brought her to me.” The man held the cage up next to his bandaged face. “An adorable little thing, isn’t she? Alas, she is only a flickering candle compared to Ciel Phantomhive.”

“It really is you… Baron Kelvin.” Sebastian glared. “But that’s impossible. My master ordered your death a long time ago. Even if there was a slim chance you survived, you would have passed away with age.”

“You would be surprised what modern day witchcraft can do. This artificial body of mine was crafted by the lovely Dr. Drevis, whom was even able to transfer my very soul into it. At long last, the concept of Death will be a thing of the past. My love for Ciel was stronger than the darkness of Hell, my anger and passion FUELED me, for ages and ages, and soon, escaping Underworld Prison was no challenge! …I also had that incident from three years ago to thank.”

Kelvin stood and grabbed a candle, going to a shelf that was lined with birdcages of captive kids. “One day, I met a man called Affright, and he gave me a magic fruit that granted me the power to trap people in little cages. I lured so many darling kids to my circus, praying that one of them will fill the void that Ciel Phantomhive left. Alas, they were nothing. Nothing but dim little stars! I was AWASH in agony, because I thought my Ciel—my beautiful Moon—was gone from the sky! …But what do I hear? Ciel is still alive. He is in the Kids Next Door! For 200 years, my Moon has continued shining—he hasn’t aged a day! He is still radiant and beautiful!”

Kelvin reached his fingers into Haruka’s cage and pulled her against the bars. “Finally, Ciel… we can be together again. I can finally fill the hole in my heart with your luscious light. I will sniff your wondrous odor, I will absorb your light into my eyes, and your unparalleled taste shall never leave my tongue.” He stroked his tongue against the bars.

Nolan shot his grappling hook to catch Haruka’s cage, sticking his arms through his own cage to hold it. “Haruka! Is that really you?”

“. . . .” Haruka stared at him, but showed no emotion.

“It is as I feared.” Sebastian said. “The horrors Baron Kelvin commits are so unspeakable that his young victims are sapped of their very being. Her soul is still intact, yet Miss Haruka is blind to her surroundings.”

“You monster…” Sandman glared at Kelvin with malice.

“Master Affright told me you would ruin my time with Ciel.” Kelvin came to take back the cage. “Affright said, if I don’t stop you, I don’t get Ciel. I will crush you like baby birds in a cage.” Kelvin snapped his fingers, and Nolan and Sebastian’s birdcage began to shrink. Afterwards, they felt the cage rising up in Kelvin’s hands and had full view of his gigantic, bloodshot eyes and bulky grin. “Ahhhhhh… a little detective and a little butler… once I’ve crushed you, I’ll have my precious Ciel _aaaaaall_ to myself.” (Play the Snatcher’s Theme from _A Hat in Time_!)

 

_Boss fight: Kelvin Renbourn_

Kelvin opened a hatch on the top and dumped in some of his captive children from another cage. Their expressions dull, they attacked Sandman and Sebastian with swift acrobatics. The duo used gentle attacks to fight the kids, with Sandman shooting gas from his gloves to KO them whenever possible, and Sebastian used a cloth of chloroform to do the same. However, since the kids were barely in control of their senses, it took a moment for the gas to take effect, which was tricky when the other kids were trying to fight them.

As they were fighting, Kelvin was dropping twigs into the cage. He then held a lit lighter in front of his face and blew the flames inside to light the twigs on fire. Fire Spirits emerged from the flames, so Sandman sucked a few in with his Poltergust. Kelvin’s insane eyes were mere inches from the bars of the cell, but Sandman would use this to his advantage: he blasted flames into Kelvin’s right eye until he was forced to shut it, a waterfall of tears seeping out. Sandman blew fire into the left eye, and Kelvin dropped their cage as he wailed and rubbed his eyes.

Nolan and Sebastian bounced out of the cage and grew to normal size. “Get Haruka!” Nolan ordered his partner. Kelvin saw him through his tears and tried to run, but Nolan grabbed the baron and gave him unmerciful punches to his bandaged face. “CHILDREN! HELP YOUR DADDY!” Two children pounced Nolan and made him release Kelvin, and two more attacked Sebastian and took back Haruka’s cage. The two shook the kids off, but Kelvin used his power to re-enlarge the other cage, catch the heroes, and shrink it down again.

The fire made Kelvin’s eyes more red and furrowed, and those along with his grit teeth established his anger. This time, Kelvin took a vial of poison goop and poured it in, beginning to flood the floor of the cage. “Up here!” Nolan used the Line Launcher to link between two bars and hopped onto it, Sebastian joining him. The poison would leak out the edges of the cage and not reach the heroes.

“Hey! Get off of there!” Kelvin blew into the cage and jiggled the zipline, but Nolan and Sebastian stylishly flipped under, over, and around the rope. Kelvin stopped blowing and decided to spit into the cage in attempt to knock them off, but Nolan was able to suck one of the spit globs into his Poltergust. He then sprayed the water around the floor and washed out the poison, allowing him and Sebastian to safely get down. “Fine! I’ll crush you myself!” Kelvin stuck his fingers in the cage and tried to crush his enemies.

Nolan grabbed his Explosive Gel and sprayed on one side of Kelvin’s index finger while Sebastian sprayed the other side. “Eh?” Kelvin held his finger close to his eye, wondering what they sprayed on him. Nolan and Sebastian pressed their remotes and detonated the gel. “EEEHH!” It blew up in Kelvin’s right eye. The angered baron tried to smash them faster, but the duo were able to dodge and spray more gel on his finger. “Not this time!” Kelvin simply wiped the gel on his shirt. He kept trying to smash them, but Nolan saw that the gel on the shirt expanded to a “normal” size. He and Sebastian smirked and pressed their remotes.

“AAAAAH!” The explosion knocked Kelvin down, dropping the cage as the heroes escaped again.

Kelvin scrambled to his feet and tried to run, but Sebastian grabbed the man by the collar and threw him against the wall. The Black Butler whacked the baron with an array of karate chops, his bandages ripping apart. Sebastian then began to choke him, and Kelvin saw Nolan picking up Haruka’s cage and opening it. “I’ll get you out of here, Haruka.”

“NO! SHE IS MY KEY!” Kelvin cried, suddenly enlarging Haruka’s cage and catching Nolan. When Sebastian looked at him, Kelvin seized the chance to kick him into the cage as well, shrinking it back down afterwards. When Kelvin lifted the cage again, the duo was given the atrocious view of his unbandaged face: his skin was peeling like a zombie, and even the upper-left of his skull was visible. “I will have my Ciel by my side! We will live the rest of our lives in peace! You do not deserve to take part in our happiness! STOP TAINTING OUR LOVE!”

“WAAAAAAHH!” Kelvin spun the cage around at a rapid pace, the heroes and Haruka bouncing back-and-forth. Kelvin finally stopped, beaming as his adversaries lay dizzy on the floor of the cage. However, he frowned when Sandman tried to help himself up. “NOOOO!” Kelvin frantically shook the cage aimlessly. “DON’T GET UP! Stay down, STAY DOWN! Ciel won’t come back to me if you’re still alive!”

Kelvin ceased and studied his foes again. As Sandman and Sebastian lay defeated, the butler whispered, _“Don’t move.”_

“Eh… Hello?” Kelvin lightly tapped their bodies. “Are you dead? …Yes! YES! FINALLY! COME TO ME, MY LOVELY CIEL! I have a bouquet of the loveliest blue roses! We shall get married on the moon—I have already written both of our vows! OH, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE MY BRIDAL GOWN! MWA HA HA HAAAA!”

The second Kelvin’s mouth was wide open, Sebastian stood and tossed a kitchen knife down the baron’s throat. The knife poofed back to normal size and stuck through the back of the throat. “UUUUUAAA!” Kelvin dropped the cage and desperately yanked the knife out. The heroes escaped the cage again, and Sebastian smacked him thrice before kicking him to the floor. Nolan grabbed the throne, leapt above Kelvin, and SMASHED it over his feeble body. (End song.)

“Oooooohhh… Ciel… My Ciel…” The baron faced up at the ceiling, reaching for the image of the full moon. “If only… I could have seen you… one more time. Just once… if I could see you… I would be at peace.”

“Are you quite certain, Renbourn?”

“EH?” Kelvin flinched. For a moment, he wondered if that lovely voice was an illusion. He hesitantly turned his head toward the doorway.

“Because I’m right here.” Ciel Phantomhive said.

“CIEEEEEL!” Kelvin frantically crawled over. “Ciel! My prince! My… Wait…”

Ciel glared at him with a single, scarlet eye. “Well, Baron?”

“No…No, this isn’t right. Where is your rich blue eye that glimmers like the moon?” Kelvin reached his hands around Ciel’s head and began to untie his eyepatch. “Surely, it’s behind this, right?” The eyepatch came off, and Kelvin gasped: Ciel’s right eye was a bright purple, and had the symbol of a star within a circle, with ancient letters inside the star’s points.

“No…No, no, NO!” Kelvin punched the floor. “YOU’RE not Ciel! You are not my beautiful prince! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!” He grabbed Ciel’s shoulders. “Give him back to me, you foul demon! GIVE BACK MY CIEL! Your eye!” As Kelvin stared at Ciel’s red eye, a vision flashed of a Blood Moon in the sky. “Your eye BURNS my soul like the Fires of Hell! DEMON!” Kelvin desperately began to scratch Ciel’s face. “I WILL RESCUE YOU, CIEL! LET ME SEE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE! LET ME BASK IN YOUR GLORY! GIVE ME EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR LUSCIOUS FORM!”

Ciel kicked him to his back. Sebastian then pinned his foot on Kelvin’s stomach, and using the other foot, he STOMPED Kelvin’s face and left it a bloody mess. He ceased struggling, for the baron was dead. The birdcages on the shelves disappeared and the kids grew back to normal size, collapsing into a pile. The same thing happened to Haruka, and when she re-expanded, Sandman caught her in his arms.

“I apologize, Mr. York, for it seems I have broken the No Killing rule.”

“That rule doesn’t apply to people who already died.”

Ciel was panting, sweating and holding his face. Although Kelvin only dealt minimal scratches to his features, Ciel’s internal scars were beginning to burn. His pain shone clearly in his scarlet eye. “Sebastian… des…destroy this place! BURN IT TO THE GROUND!”

“NO!” shouted Nolan, grabbing Ciel’s arm. “We need to get these kids out of here!”

“Forget them!” Ciel yanked his arm back. “There’s no saving them! Not after the horrors they’ve experienced!”

“And how would you know that?”

“Because I used to be one of them, alright?! Words couldn’t describe the things this man did to us. Mark my words, these children are better off DEAD!”

“How DARE you call yourself a Kids Next Door operative!” Nolan grabbed Ciel by the scruff and brought him up to his mask. “The Kids Next Door is an organization of hope! They bring hope to children and adults everywhere!”

“Hope is nothing but a word! There was never any hope for me, why should I think it exists for anyone else?!”

“Then are you really a demon on the inside?!”

Ciel was at a loss for words, feeling the greatest tinge in his heart. “You… How dare you say that! What do you know about me?!”

“I know you had a very troubled past.” Sandman removed his mask. “I know you’ve experienced terrors worse than I can even imagine. But DON’T act like you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to suffer! Don’t act like there isn’t a shred of hope in the world! The Kids Next Door is all about hope, and if you’re going to call yourself an operative, you better remember that!”

Visions flashed in Ciel’s mind, of Carol, of Weiss, of Raleigh, of Pacifica, his teammates each smiling. He had one more vision of a girl with golden curly hair and big emerald eyes. “…I…I…I need to lie down…” Ciel fell back and fainted.

Sebastian caught him in his arms. As he studied his master’s sleeping form, his face was solemn. “Don’t do it, Sebastian.” Nolan stated.

“My master’s word is absolute. I will burn this building. …However, he did not specifically order me to kill the children. I will give you some time to rescue them, but I must fulfill the order before he awakens.”

“I’ll call GUN to bring them to H.Q.. …I think Ciel should join them.”

“Now, Mr. York, are there not other Kids Next Door operatives at G.U.N. H.Q.? How would they react to seeing Master Phantomhive in the state he’s in now?”

Nolan was silent, knowing he was right. Sebastian began to leave, but he stopped before the exit. “You might think he is a demon on the inside… but Master Phantomhive still has the heart of a human. He can still feel fear, and not just because of what Kelvin Renbourn did to him. After he joined Sector $, what he told me was…”

_“It’s strange, Sebastian… I have never been around humans in such a long time. When I’m with them… when I’m talking with them… bickering with them… I almost feel like I’m still one of them…”_

“Hm… My master can be very shy sometimes.” Sebastian said with a warm smile. “I almost want to find a way to make him human again… but if he did, I would devour his soul in an instant.”

“I don’t believe that.” Nolan said. “I think you’re more attached to him than you think.”

“Hm hm hm. You’re very optimistic, Master York. But I suppose that’s what makes you so _interesting_.” With that, Sebastian took his master and left.

Nolan faced down at Haruka, her body still dull. After sending the message to GUN, he picked Haruka up and carried her outside. He set her gently in the Sandmobile and made the drive back to G.U.N. H.Q..

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Haruka was lain on a bed in a medical room. With the doctors already examining her, Sandman contacted Carol and briefed the mission. “Physically, Haruka appears fine. But it seems like she’s lost the will to do anything…”

_“Oh, my… Do you know what we can do to help her?”_

“Hopefully, she’ll come back to her senses. Otherwise… I’m not sure what to do.”

_“I hope so, too. …What do we do now, Mr. York?”_

“Look into a woman named Dr. Drevis. She was associated with Kelvin, and there’s a chance she could be tied into Affright’s plan.”

_“I’ll get right to it. In the meantime, there’s a ton of other missions that need solving. Sigh, honestly, Mr. York, you’re way too nice to take on so many requests at once.”_

Nolan hung up and stared at Haruka for a moment. His encounter with Kelvin brought new fears to his mind. “Recreating a person’s body… bringing someone back to life… Depending on the person in question… it could be a terrifying power.”

“Geez, Nolan, be a little more optimistic!” Revan remarked.

 

**This chapter also serves as a prelude to _Sector $_ , where Ciel will be a main character. By the way, Kelvin’s power was the Cage-Cage Fruit, another Nen-class Devil Fruit.**


	8. Mad Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sandman begins to chase down the ice cream trucks kidnapping children. They may just lead him to something more.

**These next few chapters will be focused on completing the side quests, each of which will have its own little twist. And guess which one we’ll start with?**

****

**_

Chapter 8: Mad Doctor

RIDDLE HUNT, Part 1

_**

****

**Quahog, Rhode Island**

Nolan pressed a switch on a roof that spawned a set of green rings going down to the street. Crystal Wickens glided through those rings, having to make a quick turn right, then a turn left. She glided through all the rings and Nolan collected the trophy.

Nolan pressed another switch, and a monitor displayed a cage opening somewhere in the city. He stayed on the switch while Crystal went searching, but the cage shut as Riddler said, _“Ah ah ah, BOTH applicants need to be searching, please.”_ They sighed and did as he told. The Riddle was next to a garbage can, next to a Fegan Floop poster, and it took a while for the duo to find it.

**? On YouTube, he’s a wanted man, the Atrocities he cannot stand! ?**

This Riddle came up in the open window of an apartment bedroom. There was a writing desk and a picture on the wall next to it, depicting a silhouetted, cloaked figure with two glaring eyes. The poster was labeled _MysteriousMrEnter_ , so Nolan snapped a shot of the solution.

Nolan and Crystal found a Riddle Cube. The first room required Nolan to quickly Wall Jump down a series of ascending panels to collect the trophy. The second room required her to jump up a series of slots fit for her staff, in which she stuck the staff in them, hung on, thrusted herself up while removing the staff, then quickly stuck it in the next slot. “I am so glad I took the time to train for this!” she yelled, retrieving the trophy. The third room had circular glass containers moving around the wall above, with the trophy in one of them. Nolan had to quickfire Explosive Gel up to them, break the glass, and grapple hook the trophy.

They located a pool of goop, so Nolan used the Poltergust to absorb some water and spray it around the goop. The building it was covering emerged from the ground, and the Mustache Girl burst out of a window and landed on a motorcycle. “Eat my exhaust, Sand-aman!” The two heroes had to chase her in the Sandmobile. Mustache Girl left a trail of goop in her wake, which would make the Sandmobile swerve uncontrollably. Nolan stayed to the sides of the goop and had to drift around buildings to keep up with the motorcycle. Once he was within range, he ejected himself forward and caught the Mustache Girl.

“Alright, brat, what’s your game?! Why are you sinking buildings?!”

“That’s-a none of your business! Leave me alone, you stupid cretino!” The girl jabbed Nolan with some lava paint, forcing him to release, and Mustache Girl escaped through another paint portal.

**One hour later…**

“Siiiiigh… finally… 100 Riddles.” Nolan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Only 400 to go…” Crystal sighed with exhaust. “At least I won’t have to collect any more.”

_“Well, Sandman, against all possible odds, you managed to collect every Riddle in Quahog. However, one final test awaits you in this town. Go to the place marked on your map if you are brave enough.”_

A “?” icon appeared on the digital map. Nolan and Crystal followed it to an alleyway, discovering a door with a green “?”. Inside was an elevator, which led them several meters below the surface. It let them out into a room with green lighting. Through the open doorway, they spotted The Riddler pedaling a stationary bicycle. Sandman immediately ran up and swung his fist at his head, but it merely phased through the hologram. _“Please, did you honestly think I would reveal myself that easily? I am in a more secluded location, Sandman, but I have left this hologram here to simulate myself observing your failure up close! Without further ado, let’s begin your challenge.”_ (Play “And the Question Is” from _Super Paper Mario_!)

 _“If you look to your left, you’ll find Mr. Dimalanta comfortably trapped inside an unbreakable glass cage.”_ Indeed, Matthew was there, and contrary to what Riddler said, he was cuffed to the chair, gagged, and blindfolded. _“Notice the two glass tubes attached to the cage that stretch all the way across the chasm. One tube has fire, and the other one has gas. Can you guess what happens when these two elements meet? KABOOM! The only way to save him is by simultaneously pressing both switches across the chasm. Line Launchers and gliding are prohibited, and any attempt to use said gadgets will result in me shocking poor Matthew to death. How will you get across, you ask? I’m sure the solution lies just under your nose.”_

There were five colored switches: pink, green, blue, red, and yellow. There was a zigzaggy, holographic path with those same colored segments, and by standing on the switches, those segments would become solid. Nolan told Crystal to stand on the switches while he crossed the path. However, when Crystal stepped off a switch, the colored path would become holographic again, so Nolan would be forced to jump, with Crystal stepping on the next switch before Nolan would land on the next segment.

The puzzle started to where the respective switches were next to each other, but it later escalated to where Crystal had to quickly jump over the switches to reach the right ones. During the last segment, the colored segments were divided into floating platforms, making it a bit trickier to jump, but Nolan was able to make it. There were five more colored switches on Nolan’s ledge, and he would be using these to guide Crystal across. Her path was different, with some of the segments either turning vertically or floating in a circular path. What also made it challenging were switches that Crystal would accidentally step on during a jump, causing the fire and gas to flow through the tubes faster.

“Riddler, I admit you’re a genius in your own right,” Crystal said, “but this puzzle is too elaborate for even the most brilliant engineer to construct! I mean, if these switches are part of the hologram, how do they connect to the physical fire and gas tubes?!”

_“Sometimes, all a man really needs is his imagination.”_

The final stretch had very small platforms that Crystal would need careful balance in order to jump them. Regardless, she was able to make it to Sandman, and both heroes pressed the twin “?” switches. Matthew’s cage opened and his cuffs came undone. He quickly ripped off his blindfold and gag and dashed out of the cage. The fire and gas reached the cage and exploded.

A bridge stretched over for Sandman and Crystal to get back to the start. Matthew leaned on the exit door, catching his breath. “Are you okay, Matt?” Nolan asked.

“Yeah… Could’ve come here a bit sooner, couldn’t you?”

“I’ve been pretty preoccupied. As a matter of fact… something happened to your daughter.”

“Haruka? What do you mean, what’s happened to her?”

“Well, it’s something we’re still trying to figure out. I’ll call GUN to take you to H.Q.. Then you can see for yourself.”

“Sigh… I don’t like it when you talk that way, Nolan. Alright, then let’s get out of this shitty sewer.” (End song.)

After exiting the Riddle Room, Nolan and Crystal returned to the rooftops, watching as a GUN truck took Matthew to safety. “Carol, have you found anything on Dr. Drevis?” Nolan asked.

_“Well, if the Internet doesn’t think she’s famous, we don’t have much to work with. It might be a bit easier if we knew her first name.”_

“I guess I shouldn’t have let Sebastian kill Kelvin before I had a chance to interrogate him.”

“Oh, don’t say that, Nolan, that man had every right to die!” Revan said in his own way of comforting. “He was unforgivable, unredeemable. You may claim to be the hero that never kills, but you made it clear a long time ago: only justice can bring peace. Just like that bitch Kyoshi said!”

“Uh, Nolan? You still with us?” Crystal asked.

“Uh, w-what?”

“I was asking what we were going to do next. What’s your plan to track down Dr. Drevis, or better yet, Affright?”

“Ice cream.”

“Please be serious, Nolan.”

“I meant THEM.” Nolan stated, indicating the ice cream truck that was driving by.

“Oh, right, the evil Ice Cream Men. Well, I’m always up for a good chase!”

They flew down into the Sandmobile in order to chase the truck. Seeing he was being chased, the Ice Cream Man fired cone missiles at the Sandmobile. Nolan used side-thrusts to dodge them and countered with his own energy missiles. “Oooo, real conservative, Nolan.” Revan remarked.

It took three missiles to make the truck swerve to a crash. Sandman and Wiccan rushed over and opened the back of the truck. At first, they mistook the girl in the back to be Numbuh 362 from her childhood, until they realized it was a life-size doll. “A doll?” Crystal questioned. “Where’s the captive?”

“Wait…” Nolan used Detective Vision to scan it. “This doll has… the head and skull of a real person. I’m picking up a strange drug underneath the skin.”

“No doubt, it is one of Dr. Drevis’s products.”

Nolan and Crystal about-faced. Standing outside the truck was a boy with tousled blonde hair, a white collared shirt, and brown pants, his head half-turned as his golden left eye stared at them. “Who are you? And… how do you know about Dr. Drevis?”

“For starters, it’s not a happy story.” The boy faced them fully, revealing the gaping darkness of his empty right eye socket.

“Ulp-!” Crystal could not resist the urge to vomit.

“My name is Dio. And no, I’m not the same Dio from that _stupid_ anime everyone talks about.”

“I was actually going to compare you to someone else I met recently, but go on.”

“I’ve been following these ice cream trucks for weeks, trying to locate Dr. Drevis, and my quest has led me to this town. I overheard you talking on the roof about wanting to find her. I don’t know what business you have with Dr. Drevis… but I’m here to ask you to leave this matter alone.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because this is my fault and my responsibility alone. I do not want outsiders to get involved.”

“And what if I choose to ignore you?”

“Sigh… well, there’s not much I can do about that. I suppose, then, we’ll have a race. See who can get to her first.” Dio turned and walked into a dark alley.

“Hey!” Nolan jumped out of the truck to chase him, but Dio was already long gone. “He disappeared? Does that mean… he’s a spirit, too?”

 _“No, I could see him on my screen.”_ Carol mentioned. _“I have no idea where he disappeared to.”_

“Well, I guess we have another reason to go after these ice cream trucks. If they’re somehow connected to Dr. Drevis, then I’ll hunt down every one I can.”

Since the driver of this truck was knocked out from the crash, Nolan and Crystal drove around the city in search of more trucks. They found a truck that froze the ground in its wake, making it difficult for the Sandmobile to catch up. Despite this, they were able to get close enough to where Nolan ejected himself onto the truck, then slipped into the driver’s seat to grab the driver and force it to a halt. Nolan dragged the driver out by the neck and demanded, “Where are you and your cronies taking these children to?!”

“W-We were ordered by Affright to take them to abandoned buildings! I have no idea what happens to ’em from there!”

“Any idea who Dr. Drevis is?!”

“No! No idea! Affright just mentions the name every now and then!”

“That’ll satisfy me for now.” Nolan knocked him out. Meanwhile, the back of the truck was frozen shut, so Crystal blew fire from her staff to melt it loose. The kid inside was a girl dressed as a pink hedgehog in a red dress.

“Thank you for saving me.” The girl smiled, doing a twirl. “My name’s Amy. Amy Rose.”

“Nice to meet you… Amy.” Nolan replied, playing along. “It’s not safe to be trick-or-treating alone. Don’t you have any friends you can do it with?”

“Not really. No one at the orphanage likes me because I like to cosplay. But if my sweet Tails were here, things would be different!”

“I thought Amy liked Sonic?” Crystal inquired.

“SCREW SONIC! Tails and Amy forever!!”

“In any case, I’ve called GUN to pick you up. Just wait here and they’ll be here in a jiffy.” With that, the duo boarded the Sandmobile and searched for their next truck.

“Come to think of it, that first boy that we rescued was from an orphanage, too.” Crystal mentioned.

“Really? I wonder if that means they’re only targeting orphans.”

The fourth ice cream truck would purposely slow down and activate a spherical shield, tricking the Sandmobile into crashing. Nolan tricked it by driving close enough so the shield would activate, braking, and waiting for the shield to deactivate before ramming the truck with a boost. The driver was KO’ed, but the backseat passenger seemed to be okay. The hostage this time was a boy dressed as a pile of dung. “Are you the Poop Emoji from the _Emoji Movie_?” Crystal asked.

“No, I’m Poo, from my _Inside Out_ fanfiction!”

“Hi, Chris Griffin.” Nolan greeted.

The final ice cream truck was flying around the sky, so Nolan converted the Sandmobile into the Sandwing. The truck sent drones after the Sandwing, but they ended up as fodder. Nolan waited until he was behind the truck before launching the Sandwing’s harpoon and yanking the back hatch off. Nolan then ejected himself, rescued the captive, and jumped back to the Sandwing, letting the ice cream craft crash.

“Can’t you do it a little safer when you rescue me next time?!” the hostage yelled. He was dressed like the Hulk.

“Is Hulk scared of heights?”

“Yes, Hulk is.”

They couldn’t find any more ice cream trucks in Quahog, so Nolan expanded the search to Port Rivera. He regrouped with Nagisa as they set out to find them. They were quick to notice an ice cream yacht sailing around the Boogey ships, and it had four guards blasting missiles at the Sandwing. Nolan ejected Nagisa toward the boat, but it activated a shield. The Ice Cream Men blasted missiles just as it disappeared, but Nagisa used Shave to dodge and get onto the boat. He knocked the guards out with his Antikill knife, then he got inside the cockpit to defeat the pilot.

Nagisa rescued a Spanish boy dressed like Cad Bane. “All my friends like Boba Fett better… If they hear ‘Cad Bane’ was kidnapped by an ice cream man, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone!” Nagisa grinned behind his Sheikah mask.

There was a flying ice cream truck, but when the Sandwing flew close to it, it would turn invisible and silent. All Sandman had to do was cloak his plane, so the ice cream plane would never see them coming. Nolan harpooned the back hatch, yanked it open, then launched Nagisa over to grab the hostage. “Mr. York, I couldn’t find a kid in there, but I found this doll.” Nagisa presented a Kuki Sanban doll.

Nolan scanned it. “This doll has all of its bones, but the face was sewn on.” He rolled up the doll’s sleeve: its arm had tanner skin than the face. “Otherwise, she’s a Spanish girl.”

“You mean that doll is a real person?!” Nagisa exclaimed.

“I’m afraid so.”

After taking down the last Ice Cream Men, Nolan continued the chase in Academy City. The trucks here were armored, but they could easily be blown through by Misaka’s Railgun. “So, catching evil Ice Cream Men is part of your daily routine too, huh?” she asked.

“I never get a moment of rest.”

“You’ve been helping my Sisters, right?”

“I saved one of them. I’ll look for the others once this is done.”

“Hey, Nolan, did you know the song the ice cream trucks are playing is ‘Turkey in the Straw’?” Revan asked. “I once wrote a remix of that song called ‘Orders 1-65’, recapping all the terrible things I did to you. I never got to play it for you… but hey, there’s always a second chance for everything!”

They chased an armored airborne truck, and it was swift to dodge Misaka’s coins. Cloaking could help sneak up on it, but the Ice Cream Man would see them charging the Railgun, and the harpoon couldn’t yank the hatch open. Their last option was to eject Misaka onto the craft and use her electricity to deactivate its power. The ice cream plane came crashing to the ground, and when Misaka opened the back hatch, she found a doll that resembled Numbuh 10 from her childhood (not that Misaka actually knew her). The only distinct difference was a mermaid tail instead of legs.

“As I thought… the upper-half of this doll belonged to a real human.” Nolan observed. “But the tailfin has bones, too. Could it have belonged to a real mermaid?”

The final town to search for ice cream trucks was London, wherein Nolan would have Sebastian’s help. These trucks emitted clouds of fog, and from that fog, Bogmires attacked the Sandmobile. Sebastian suggested that he drive the Sandmobile while Nolan stand on top and slurp in the fog as they chased. The butler could then lock onto the truck and blast it without interference. Together, they brought down five more trucks, rescuing four trick-or-treaters while one of them contained a life-size Nigel Uno doll.

“Another corpse…” Nolan said with regret. “Judging by the tiny hair follicles, the victim was shaved to represent Numbuh One.”

“That isn’t all, Mr. York.” Sebastian said. “I can smell demon blood inside this body.”

“What? So, the killer actually went that far? Who would have access to- ERK!” The Nigel doll suddenly grabbed Nolan by the neck. Sebastian seized the doll and tore its head off to make it stop. “Sebastian! That kid was still alive!”

“No, I assure you they were quite dead. What I felt just then was an evil spirit. Master York, perhaps I can help you get to the bottom of this mystery.” Sebastian put on a surgical mask. “You see, I am also one hell of a doctor.”

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Sebastian was fully garbed in a doctor’s uniform. He had extracted the blood from the dolls using syringes, and they were analyzed by him and Sandman. “So, only the Nigel doll contains demon blood, but it’s mixed in with human blood. That means the killer really wanted it to resemble the real thing.”

“But one extra chemical exists in each of these dolls.” Sebastian said. “If we cross out the blood components, here’s what remains.” The butler removed those parts from the screen.

“Carol, can you look up any substances composed of these ingredients?”

_“Okay, I found a match, and I think you’re gonna like it. These ingredients create a medicine called Anti-Age, meant to be used for elderly people to make their skin look fresh and young. It was developed by Dr. Drevis, who sold it to local markets. According to the ad, the medicine can keep your skin beautiful even after death.”_

“Well, I think we can put two and two together, Carol: Dr. Drevis is yet another sick son of a bitch.”

_“I… thought we established she was a girl?”_

“You get my point. Clearly, Dr. Drevis is connected to the Brotherhood. She’s been using the Ice Cream Men to kidnap children and take them to secluded hideouts, and supposedly she takes it from there. And all the children we rescued are either orphans, homeless, or come from neglectful families, having made their costumes from scratch or scrounged enough money to buy them. It’s the best way to avoid drawing too much attention to her plan. The question is, how does she take them from their checkpoints?”

“Perhaps one of the Ice Cream Men will be willing to tell us.”

**London**

After interrogating one of the Ice Cream Men, Nolan and Sebastian found their way to an abandoned building, based on the man’s own town map with coordinates. It was only lit by candlelight, and a trail of Hershey Kisses led down to the basement. They carefully followed the candy, expecting a trap. The candy led to a round, portal device. “Of course. A Quickwarp.” Nolan deduced. “The Brotherhood and the members of Team Gnaa used these all the time. They had like a hundred bases.”

A second later, the portal shut off. “Oh, dear. Seems someone does not want you to discover their secret.”

_“Portal self-destruct initiated. All personnel stand clear.”_

“Vanellope!” Nolan ran for the portal with his watch raised.

“ON IT!” Vanellope glitched into the device and stopped the counter.

“We might still have a shot at finding them. These Quickwarp portals have a wireless link to their partner. Can you find the location of the other portal?”

 _“Yessirree, Daddy! I’ll show it to ya in a sec!”_ Vanel glitched back to Nolan’s watch. His world map zoomed in on the Black Forest in Germany.

“Hm hm.” Nolan smirked. “We’ll take it from here, Sebastian.”

**Black Forest, Germany**

A frail woman, cloaked in blue, weakly limped her way through the forest. Since her legs were failing her, she had to use a long staff to progress. In the middle of this dark forest was a peaceful wooden house. The sign outside read _Drevis Clinic_. The woman’s footsteps clanked the wooden steps until she finally reached the door. She pressed the doorbell and was greeted with a charming jingle.

A woman answered the door. She was a beautiful young lady with shoulder-length black hair and inviting blue eyes, wearing a white apron over a cyan dress. Her long black socks went into red Mary-Janes. “Hello, Miss. Can I help you?”

“Hi. This is the Drevis Clinic, right?” Crystal Wickens asked, pretending to sound weak. “I hope this isn’t a bad time…”

“No, of course it isn’t.” The woman told her kindly. “What seems to be the problem?”

“I feel terribly ill tonight, and I can’t walk well. I had to borrow my mother’s cane. My family doesn’t have much money, and I heard you didn’t charge too steeply…”

“Well, I’ll be glad to help you. Please, come in.”

“Thank you, Dr. Drevis.”

“Please, call me Aya.”

Aya had Crystal lay on a bed while the doctor took temperature. “This is a very lovely office.”

“Thank you. I’ve always been fond of nature. …You know, you’re very pretty yourself.” Aya said. “Is that purple hair dyed on?”

“No. I’ve actually had it since birth.” Crystal said, lightly stroking her hair.

“It goes really well with your eyes.” Aya lightly felt her hands around Crystal’s face. “My, your face feels so thin, too. Your chin is so pointy.”

“I’m… flattered, Doctor.” Crystal blushed.

Aya put on a surgical mask and got a syringe. “This should restore power to your nerves, but you’ll have to take it easy while it kicks in. Don’t worry.” Aya calmly approached her, eyes half-closed. “In a moment, your suffering will be over.”

“Yes, but not yours.” Crystal immediately grabbed her staff, whacked the syringe away, and kicked Aya back. A second later, the Sandman dove in through the window and grabbed Aya by the neck.

“No security. This was easier than I could’ve-”

Two knives flew out and stabbed Nolan and Crystal’s arms. Aya escaped and ran to her maid, a woman with brown hair, green eyes, and a black apron over a white dress. “Maria! Downstairs!”

“Yes, Mistress!”

“Crystal, are you okay?” Nolan asked, examining her wound.

Crystal sprayed ice from her staff to freeze the wound. “We’ll survive.” She then froze Nolan’s wound. “We have to catch them!” They rushed to a back room, passing some life-size dolls, and going down stairs to the basement.

The basement had several Quickwarp portals, tables of potions and lab equipment, and operating tables with deceased patients and pools of blood. “Well, this wasn’t according to plan.” Nolan and Crystal jumped back when a giant spider dropped down. It was actually a giant doll that resembled a human girl, her mouth baring fangs. It had blonde hair and wore a huge pink dress, and its eight legs resembled animal parts. “We weren’t expecting to get found out until later. But I suppose, since you’re here, we’ll make quick work of you!” (Play “Sally’s Song” from _Oogie’s Revenge_!)

 

_Boss fight: Aya Drevis_

Nolan and Crystal ran separate directions, the former dodging the swipe of a lion’s claw and the latter bashing a crocodile’s jaw. Crystal kept a safe distance and blasted flames to set fire to the croc. _“HAAAAAROOOOOOOK!”_ The entire entity frantically shook that arm and broke the croc head off. “So, I guess they don’t like fire.” Nolan figured, grabbing the lion’s claw, spraying Explosive Gel on, and detonating it. Nolan was cut from behind, seeing Maria throwing knifes from behind some tables. Nolan caught a knife and threw it back, the hilt of it hitting Maria and knocking her dizzy. “I guess Sebastian’s rubbing off on me.”

Crystal used ice to freeze some of the legs and break them off, while Nolan tore some off with brute strength. Now that all eight legs were down, the main body collapsed. Nolan climbed up from the front, but Aya was ready for him, coming full throttle with a chainsaw. Nolan had plenty of practice dodging the knives of thugs, and now it finally came to good use as he side-dodged, ducked, and jumped Aya’s saw, and returned the greeting with five strong punches to the face.

One of the spider legs grew a Blastoise head and grabbed Nolan off the body. Each leg now had a Pokémon head, with the Blastoise blasting water and the Charizard shooting fire. Nolan used the Poltergust to absorb a Lapras head’s Ice Element and destroy a Blastoise and Feraligatr. Crystal used fire to destroy the Lapras, along with a Glaceon. However, she felt her legs get cut, and the culprits behind this were possessed dolls, forcing Crystal to set fire to them.

Nolan absorbed the water from a Vaporeon head and destroyed the Charizard, Flareon, and Nine-Tails heads. The only one left was a Piplup, which Crystal destroyed with an ice blast. The spider collapsed on the ground again, and this time Crystal jumped up. Aya swung her saw, but Crystal leapt over the doctor and bashed her left and right with her staff. Aya kicked Crystal off and the spider was back on its feet again, this time wearing shoes.

The spider showed them its rear as a huge, oozing human head grew out of it. The head spat globs of pink mush that detested Nolan and Crystal to no end, and they had no intention of finding out what it was. However, Crystal could freeze the mush, and Nolan could slam-dunk it into the beast’s mouth to clog it up. The heroes made their way to the front, fighting off more dolls and Nolan stunning Maria with another quick knife-throw.

They reached the true head of the spider, which lashed a lizard tongue in attempt to catch its prey. It would quickly pull its tongue back whenever Crystal shot fire, but when Maria threw knives again, Nolan decided to catch a knife and quickly throw it to slice the tongue. The beast gave its blood-hurdling screech again, and with its head low to the ground (due to its shortened legs), Nolan ran underneath, sprayed Explosive Gel on the neck, and pushed the trigger to blow the head clean off.

The monster fell dead, and Nolan climbed on top of it for his last round with Aya. The Mad Doctor swung her saw with more fury, at Nolan’s head, his heart, his legs, his left hip, his right hip, but Nolan dodged each strike and performed a Bladed Thug Takedown—wherein he grabbed the saw and BASHED it over Aya’s head. Nolan kicked her into the air, and then Crystal flew up and SWUNG her staff like a baseball bat, flinging Aya across the room and into Maria. Maria’s knives flew into the air, pointed down, and stuck the ground around them. (End song.)

“Alright, I admit it… you beat me.” Nolan and Crystal turned, finding Dio by the stairwell. The boy now had bandages over his right socket. Dio calmly approached Aya and said, “I made your mother a promise, Aya… a promise to protect you. But to think you would actually continue your father’s twisted work.”

“Dio, how did you get here?” Nolan asked.

“I saw you two get on your plane and decided to follow you. Don’t ask how, though. Aya… you had a chance to live happily. You had a chance to be free from your father’s corruption. But you made your choice. I vowed that if you ever fell down this path, I would end you. …But perhaps it is best you face the consequences first.” Dio turned to Nolan. “You are a man that refuses to kill. Not many people in this world share your philosophy. I’ll leave her in your hands. Perhaps one day, she can be healed… though, I’m not hopeful about that.” With that, Dio walked past the two and out of the lab.

“What a mysterious boy.” Crystal said. “I wonder what their history is.”

“Not our concern. I’ll take Aya. You carry Maria.” Nolan said, lifting the doctor over his shoulder.

“Of course, I get the heavier one.”

Aya and Maria were strapped to the backseat of the Sandmobile. They had awakened partway through the flight to H.Q.. “You…You jerks! You ruined my dolls! All of Father’s precious dolls!”

“Why were you turning children into dolls? Was it some kind of sick fantasy of yours?” Nolan asked angrily.

“Father always believed human beauty was only valuable in youth. In time, that beauty becomes tainted. Pure souls are cursed by darkness, our faces wrinkle and decay. I didn’t realize it until I was older… I didn’t realize it until I saw them: those beautiful faces from 23 years ago. Now those faces are gone, replaced with hideous, aged forms.”

“So, you were fans of Sector V and the old gang back in the day.” Nolan deduced.

“I can relate to that.” Crystal smiled.

“I remember you, too, Numbuh 2030. You were _sooooo_ hot and handsome on the KNN!” Aya swooned. “It’s not too late for me to save you. Yes, your face is hideously old now, but I can always replace it with a brand new one.”

“I’m proud of my age, thank you very much. You, on the other hand, should be ashamed for what you did. And I expect you to answer every question we have when we get to GUN.”

Not long after did they arrive, driving into the underground garage. Nolan escorted Aya into the prison wing while Crystal escorted Maria. Both culprits were kicked into the same cell as Holiday and Misaka Worst, the barrier sealing them in. “A lot of people in the Underworld want me, Sandman.” Aya stated. “They love my work. I may not be in this cell for much longer.”

“FIRST QUESTION, Dr. Drevis!” Nolan shouted, bashing the barrier. “Did you bring Kelvin Renbourn back from the dead?”

“I have the right to remain silent!”

“Not with me, you don’t!”

“Fine, I brought him back to life. He came to me, a lonely departed soul, and pled for my knowledge in alchemy. Making dolls isn’t the only thing I do. I use some of the spare parts to construct new vessels for wayward souls.”

“How many times have you brought someone to life?! What are their names?!”

“The first two were simple tests. I think their names were Andy and Rodney, but they didn’t last long. Baron Kelvin was the only successful experiment.”

“Any more after him?”

“Uhhhh… Nope!” Aya grinned innocently.

“Well, she’s obviously lying.” Crystal said.

“Think a little harder, Doctor.”

“…Oh!” Aya beamed. “But I do remember lending my secret recipe to this one group!”

“WHO?!” Nolan slammed the barrier with both hands.

“Sorry! I signed a confidentiality agreement, promising I wouldn’t disclose information. At least now I know you won’t let me die!”

“DON’T treat this like a game!”

“Says the guy who gave Riddler some attention before doing this.” Revan remarked.

“That kind of power is extremely dangerous! Don’t you remember the Inferius three years back?! Depending on the kind of person that was revived, the world could be in danger! And if something like that happens, I’ll make sure you pay the-”

Nolan’s communicator rang, and he answered it to hear Misaka’s voice. _“Hi, Mr. York, it’s Misaka. Look, I know you’re probably busy, but one of my sisters told me that three clones were killed near the Gulf of Mexico. When you have the time, just, please…”_

Another call. _“Hiya, Nolan. It’s Mandy. Just wondering if you haven’t forgotten the mission I assigned you. The traitors in my crew? You better get on that, because your boy over here is looking a little pale.”_

“Uh-oh, did something come up?” Aya asked.

Nolan shot her a glare. “I’ll be back for you later. Crystal, return to Quahog. I have other business to take care of.” He turned to leave the base.

“Nolan, wait!” Crystal followed him. “I know it’s important that we stop these villains, but shouldn’t Affright be our main priority? If we stop him, then we can save the Kids Next Door, and they’ll be able to solve these cases a lot faster than our limited numbers. The longer we wait, the more powerful he’ll-”

“And the more people will lose hope.” Nolan stated, facing her. “Crystal, if we hadn’t stopped her just now, Dr. Drevis would’ve gotten to more captives. If we exhaust ourselves trying to find Affright, more people are going to be killed. If the Kids Next Door aren’t around, we’re the next best option. We have to keep the hope from dying.”

“And we will! By stopping Affright! By bringing the Kids Next Door back! We’re too old to be trying to solve all these problems! The best we can do is defeat Affright and leave the rest to more capable hands.”

“And we don’t know where Affright is. Holiday won’t cough it up. Hell, our best chance of finding him is if I find more Riddles. But until we have a set lead, it’ll be more worth our time to help other people who need us. We’re still Kids Next Door to the core. We don’t ignore anyone who needs us. Kid or adult.” And Nolan kept walking forward.

 

**Yeah, did you expect me to come up with 500 different Riddles? I may chuck in more if I think of them, but I don’t have time to waste. So, those were _Mad Father_ characters you saw there! Next time, we will do the Sisters Project mission! …Then is when the twists start rollin’.**


	9. The Ultimate Life Form

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sandman helps Misaka uncover the culprit behind the Level 6 project.

**If you look back at Chapter 6 of _Sector MG_ , there was a piece of dialogue that foreshadowed this chapter. Wanna guess what it was?**

****

**_

Chapter 9: The Ultimate Life Form

RIDDLE HUNT, Part 2

_**

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**Port Rivera**

Nolan met up with Nagisa and began the Boogey Fleet Riddle Hunt. They found a strange floating treble clef on one of the ships, and touching it made a trail of rainbow notes go up the mast and along the top of the sail. Nolan quickly collected the notes and triggered the trophy cage to open.

They found a Riddle Cube and were whisked into a room with an electric barrier. Nagisa simply had to Shave through the barrier to grab the trophy. The next room began with a spiked ceiling panel trying to crush them, the two quickly dodging forward, and they evaded more spikes coming from the ceiling and walls. They grabbed the trophy just before they were hit by spikes from ahead. The third room had five “?” switches on the wall, and four Crystal Switches in the corners. Nolan quickly threw a Quintuple Boomerang at the wall ones while Nagisa used Tempest Kick to strike the corner ones, earning them the trophy.

**? This Pirate Queen would sure be mean, if she didn’t celebrate Halloween! ?**

Nolan remembered this clue appearing on Mandy’s flagship. They entered the captain’s cabin and discovered the headless Jack O’Lantern mounted on the wall. This was an easy solution to the Riddle.

The 15 destructible objects hidden around the fleet were Billy Bobble Heads, which represented Mandy’s husband and laughed like, _“Hehehehehehehe! Hehehehehehehe!”_ Locating and destroying all the bobble heads counted as three trophies.

The map indicated a “?” traveling through the water, and they realized it was marking a small Flying Fish. The winged fish would pop out of the water every few seconds, so Nagisa would follow it via Moon Walk, then snatch the fish when he was close enough. The trophy was in the fish’s mouth.

It was another long hour of solving Riddles, but when it was finally over, a new location was marked on the map. A new ship had appeared in the fleet, dark-green and decorated with “?”. Nolan and Nagisa entered and followed stairs down to the ship’s hold. They were greeted with the unusual sight of a Riddler hologram lifting a dumbbell (but it was actually being lifted by a machine). They were overlooking a gaping hole in the ship that was letting in seawater, and they could see Angelie McKenzie trapped in a glass cage hanging over the sea.

 _“Welcome to your second test, Sandman! I call this one ‘Heads Up.’ You know, I find that consistent exercise helps keep the brain sharp and attentive. And nothing whips your brain into shape than constantly bonking it against a block. So, today’s challenge will be a simple quiz game. Simply toss your boomerangs at the switch next to what you believe is the correct answer. You will answer these questions while jumping and bonking your heads against these floating blocks. You’ll notice that these blocks are attached to wires connected to Angie’s cage. These blocks will prevent the poor woman from submerging into the depths. However, the only way to rise her to safety will be to correctly answer my questions. Any wrong answers will cause her to sink. The test starts now!”_ (Play “Swanky’s Swing” from _Donkey Kong Country 2_!)

Angie’s cage dropped, so Nolan and Nagisa quickly ran under the blocks and started bumping them repeatedly. Angie’s cage remained suspended a few feet over the water. _“Riddle me this: What person grows warmer when the weather turns colder?”_ The choices were Chris Uno, Suki Crystal, Miyuki Crystal, and Crystal Wickens. Sandman’s name was also flashing above the screen, implying only he could answer. Nolan tossed his boomerang at the switch beside Suki’s name. Angie’s cage rose slightly.

 _“Next riddle: On which adventure did an Uno star?”_ The choices were Operation: GALACSIA, Operation: GALASCIA, Operation: GALASCIE, and Operation: GALASSIE. Nagisa was assigned to the question, and he tossed a boomerang at the GALASCIA choice. _“Sorry, Nagisa, you’ll have to check your spelling!”_ Angie’s cage sunk.

 _“With which element can one mold wills?”_ The choices were Waterbending, Musicbending, Psychicbending, and Darknessbending.

“I don’t understand!” Nagisa said, still bumping his block. “If the question refers to elements that can control people, all these elements can do that!”

“Wait! He doesn’t mean to control peoples’ wills. He’s talking about creating new wills! And psychicbending can make Imaginary Friends!” Nolan tossed his boomerang at that answer.

 _“Very clever, Sandman! But from here on, you’re not allowed to help with each other’s questions. Next question: blue = fin, white = wing, and green = ?”_ The choices were Tiny, Viridi, Flora, and Celebi. Nagisa observed the riddle as opposed to the choices, yet he couldn’t make the connection, and it didn’t help to still be bumping his head on the block.

 _He’s talking about the races._ Nolan thought to himself. _The “fin” means merpeople, “wing” means Nimbi, so the answer is “Tiny” because it refers to the Minish, and the colors reference their elemental realms. Come on, Nagisa, figure it out!_

“Uhhh… errrr…” Nagisa tossed a boomerang at “Celebi.” The wrong answer caused Angie’s cage to lower again. “Darn it! I thought it was talking about the gods.”

“If that were true, then Viridi could’ve been an answer!” Nolan stated.

“Oh… yeah…”

 _“Now, which of these characters possess ‘chi’?”_ The choices were Kirie, Sally, Chimney, and Jinta. Nagisa was required to answer again.

 _Wait a minute, none of those people are benders._ Nagisa thought. _And it doesn’t make sense because all people have chi, anyway. …Hold on, why is “chi” in quotations? …OF COURSE!_ Nagisa tossed a boomerang at Chimney.

 _“Correct, Nagisa! It took a while, but we got your brain into shape. This next riddle has multiple answers: What Numbuhs create 25 and 2x5?”_ The choices were 5, 2, 5, and 2. This question would confuse some people because 5x5 make 25, and 5+5 make 10, which is what 2x5 equals, so people would assume the answers are 5 and 5. But Nolan knew the answers were 2 and 5, because Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5 gave birth to Numbuh 25 and Numbuh 2x5. _“Sandman has been doing his homework, it seems. Correct!”_

They had to get two more right answers before Angie’s cage could touch the “Goal.” _“From here on, this quiz is anyone’s game! Fire, Light, Shadow, and Poison have which letter in common?”_ The choices were “I”, “O”, “S”, and “V”, with Nagisa’s name listed at the top. Nagisa studied them for a moment, but then realized they were referencing Sector V, which had those types of benders. He tossed a boomerang, but his name suddenly changed to Sandman’s at the top, causing Angie’s cage to sink. _“You are correct, Nagisa! But I wasn’t asking you, was I?”_

“BULLSHIT! You switched the names on purpose!”

 _“It’s programmed to switch every five seconds. Pay more careful attention next time! These two Yonko represent ‘Smell No Evil.’”_ The choices were Mandy, K. Rool, Davy Jones, and Big Mom. Sandman was the designated contestant, but his name soon changed to Nagisa. Nagisa hit Mandy as one of the answers. When Sandman’s name came up again, he hit Davy Jones. Angie’s cage rose back up.

 _“If vehicles could bend, which elements would fire trucks possess?”_ The choices were Fire, Water, Light, and Poison. Nagisa waited for his name to change to Sandman, and the latter hit Water as the first choice. When it went back to Nagisa, he chose Poison as the second answer, because fire trucks need gas to move. Angie’s cage rose, and they only needed one more right answer.

 _“If you answer this question correctly, how many more questions will you be asked?”_ The choices were 0, 5, 300, and Infinity. True, there were 300 Riddles left to solve, but Nolan knew to choose Infinity as the answer. _“Correct, Sandman. As long as you live, you will always keep receiving questions. You are free to go, Mrs. McKenzie! Watch your step on the way out.”_ Angie’s cage opened and her wrist straps were unlocked. Angie stood as she undid her gags, but when the woman slipped, Nagisa flew over with Moon Walk and grabbed her before she could fall into the water. (End song.)

Nagisa brought her back to safety as Nolan asked, “Are you okay, Angie?”

“For the most part. Nolan, what’s been going on outside?”

“Affright has poisoned the Kids Next Door, including Sector W. We’ll take you to see them at GUN H.Q..”

“Sigh, of all the things that could’ve happened on Halloween…”

“Angie, when you were captured by Riddler, did you see if anyone else was working with him?”

“No, I was already blindfolded by the time I came to. …But I think I did hear him talking to someone. He said something like, ‘No, the Riddle Cube needs to go in THIS cabin! Honestly, can’t you fairies follow simple instructions?’”

“Are you saying the Riddler has _fairies_ working for him?” Nagisa questioned.

“It sounds pretty farfetched.” Nolan agreed. “But at the same time, I can’t think of how else Riddler was able to design some of these puzzles. Either way, we have other matters to take care of first. We’ll call GUN to take you to base, Angie.”

Once that matter was dealt with, Nolan and Nagisa returned to three particular Boogey ships they had marked on the map. During the Riddle Hunt, they found three ships with demon blood spilled around the deck, but not much evidence as to what happened remained. Nolan called Mandy and said, “Mandy, all the pirates on the _Boogey Swine_ , _Boogey Beak_ , and _Boogey Tongue_ have been massacred.”

_“What?! …Oh, right, them. Those three were actually planned to be killed as part of a test.”_

“What kind of test?”

_“This brat paid me three million bucks to have my crew guard these three clone girls. He said that an assassin was coming to kill them and wanted my crew to put up as big of a fight as possible to protect them. Obviously, he wanted them to fail. Not that it matters because demons can come back to life, anyway. In case you’re interested, those three ships were guarded by Fatblin, Wizzrobes, and Lizalfos respectively. They have different fighting styles.”_

“Those clone girls were Misaka Clones. Tell me, who was the one that paid you? What did the assassin look like?”

_“I asked other crewmen if they saw the assassin, but they all reported him as being too fast for the naked eye. The person who paid me was a boy wearing a brown coat. He had blonde hair and red slanted glasses, and he had an Italian accent.”_

“That…That sounds a lot like Doflamingo, Jr..”

_“Look, what does this have to do with uncovering the traitors in my crew?”_

“This is more important. Peoples’ lives are on the line.”

_“Fine, Mr. Hero. Then I get to keep your boy a little longer.”_

“Not a problem. He can survive.”

“Uh, beg to differ!” Nagisa panicked.

“See you later, Nagisa. I’ll be back later.”

“DO-O-ON’T LEAVE ME, SENPA-A-A-I-I!”

**Quahog, Rhode Island**

Sandman returned to Quahog in time for another promo from Affright. _“Verse Number 40: The Spook in my Caboose. Oh, this one’s a comedy! I awoke with a startling choke, When a most troubling sound shook me. I looked out my-”_ Nolan saw Caesar Clown walk in from behind Affright, put some stuff in a blender, and turn it on. The sound was so loud, Affright decided to be quiet and let him finish. Caesar stopped. _“I looked out my window-”_ Caesar started it again. Affright was growing impatient. _WHIR! WHIR! WHIR! WHIR! WHIR!_ Finally, Caesar unhooked the jug and drank it.

_“Plech! Darn it, I used the wrong ingredients!”_

_“Ugh… Never mind…”_ Affright stopped recording.

“So, another Misaka is set to be killed here in 10 minutes.” Nolan read. “I hope I can find her in t-” A bullet whizzed past his face, causing him to drop. “Where’d that come from?!” He looked toward the left, but his Detective Vision didn’t pick up any snipers close by. He decided to glide in that direction, and the second he heard a gunshot, he dodged to the left. Nolan grappled to the roof of a building, and he could vaguely see the sniper on a distant, taller building.

The sniper shot again and struck Nolan’s shoulder, so he decided to jump off the building. He landed on the street, intending to sneak up on the sniper from ground level, but they simply fired bullets that ricocheted off the buildings and struck him with deadly accuracy. “You know what, why don’t I just do this?!” Sandman summoned the Sandmobile, where he would be safe from the sniper. He changed it to the Sandwing and flew to the top of that building, discovering that his attacker was a Misaka Clone. “Stop attacking me! I’m here to help you!”

Misaka lowered her gun. “‘You are not the Level 6 subject,’ asks Misaka, surprised by this unexpected anomaly.”

Nolan climbed out of the Sandwing and approached her. “My name is Sandman, and your sister sent me to save you. Tell me, do you know the name of the person who put you up to this?”

“‘He addressed himself as ‘Shut Up, Bitch,’’ responds Misaka, who now understands this was not an appropriate response. Perhaps it will help to inform you he had blonde hair and slanted red glasses.”

“And you have no idea what the Level 6 looks like, do you?”

“‘No. I was required to use my keen Observation Haki to predict his movements and snipe him,’ answers Misaka. She regrets to inform you that she used the same tactics on you.”

“Don’t feel bad. You’ll be kept safe at GUN H.Q..”

After GUN had her taken away, Nolan began searching for the next Misaka in Quahog. _“According to GUN’s file on Doflamingo, after his father died, he inherited 340 billion dollars worth of fortune.”_ Carol explained. _“Most of this wealth comes from the fact his grandfather was a World Leader.”_

“Then it would make sense for him to be ordering a member of CP10. Assuming the wound on the first Misaka really was from a Finger Pistol.”

_“Nolan, it’s Crystal. I found something strange. Come to my spot on the map.”_

Nolan met with Crystal in a warehouse area. She was standing by a garage door with a sign that said, _Test Starts Here_. “Nice find, Wiccan. Hopefully, the Misaka is in here.” Nolan had to hack a code terminal, decrypting the word ‘Ultimate’ to open the garage. There was a car-size elevator inside, so they stayed inside the Sandmobile as they rode down.

The elevator brought them to an underground racetrack. The minute they drove onto the track, laser turrets popped out ahead and blasted them. “Definitely not a tourist trap!” Nolan shouted, quickly blasting the turrets. Nolan sped up the track as it made a wide curve left, stomping the boost as flames erupted from the barred track. Nolan got past the flames and had to shoot down turrets on the ceiling and walls. There were yellow lines on the road, and when Nolan drove past them, spears would stick out from either side, their length equal to that of the lines. Nolan had to stay between the lines, which involved making his car side-thrust.

The road turned very steep and steadily grew narrow, forcing Nolan to list to the right with great speed. It became flat and wide again, but Nolan had to pick up more speed to drive up a straight, vertical wall. A spike wall was closing in on them, but the heroes reached the top just in time. The Sandmobile came to a halt at the end of the track, where the Misaka Clone waited.

“‘I am confused. I did not know the Level 6 subject was going to use a vehicle,’ Misaka says, obviously baffled.”

“Get with the program, we aren’t the Level 6!” Crystal stated.

“We’re getting you out of here.” Nolan assured. “You won’t be sacrificed tonight.”

“Misaka heaves a sigh of relief.”

They made their way out of the race course and called GUN to take the clone away. Almost coincidentally, Nolan received a call from Misaka. _“Mr. Sandman, something just happened over here in Academy City! There was commotion in District 7, but by the time I got there, one of the buildings just… sunk into a giant puddle of goop!”_

“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

**Academy City**

Nolan made it to Misaka’s location and found another pool of goop. This goop was light-blue and yellow and emitted electric sparks. “It’s the Mustache Girl again.” Nolan knew. There was a fountain nearby, so he could absorb a Water Spirit from it. The same with all the others, Nolan sprayed water around and cleaned the goop. An apartment complex rose out of the ground, and Mustache Girl burst out of one of the dorms.

“You just-a don’t give up, do you?” She hopped on a motorcycle and sped up the street, leaving a trail of electric goop. This motorcycle was twice as fast as the other one, so the Sandmobile was unable to keep up. They had to keep Mustache Girl within range so Misaka could charge her Railgun. She missed the first two times, but once it made impact the third time, Mustache Girl went flying before crashing in a mobile garbage can.

“Ohhhh…” The girl groggily climbed out. “WAH!” She was immediately grabbed by Sandman.

“Don’t make me spank you!”

“You… wouldn’t… dare!”

“TRY ME!” Nolan raised his hand.

“HEEEELP! A STRANGER IS VIOLATING ME!” Mustache jabbed Nolan with her electrified paintbrush, drew up a portal, and vanished.

“Just out of curiosity, _have_ you ever spanked anyone?” Misaka asked with a smirk.

“Tonight might be when I start. Let’s go see what she was trying to hide.” They relocated the apartment complex and searched each of the floors. All the dorms were perfectly aligned, nothing out of the ordinary, until a ruined door and window caught their attention. Nolan flicked on a light switch to highlight the ransacked apartment. “Whoa…”

There was a white-haired boy in blue jeans and a black shirt with white stripes unconscious in the apartment. “Sandman… it’s Accelerator.”

“Accelerator? He was the original Level 6 candidate, right?”

“Yeah. He was crippled after the Caped Baldy attacked him.”

“Ehhhh… who you callin’ bald?…” Accelerator achingly pushed himself up, looking up at the two. “Oh, it’s you again…” he said to Misaka.

“Did somebody attack you?” Nolan asked, picking the boy up and setting him on his feet. Accelerator leaned against the wall while Nolan picked up his crutches.

“Yes. It was some kid that looked like a flamingo. He attacked me with strings, but before I knew it, I was…!” Accelerator panicked. “Wait! Where’s the kid?!”

“What kid?”

“The kid… The little Misaka clone. Dammit, my phone is missing!”

“They must’ve taken her to be part of the test!” Misaka deduced.

“You mean the Level 6 test? She told me it was started up again, but I didn’t think _she_ would be involved. She’s still too young!”

“Too young?”

“Yeah, haven’t you heard? She’s called Last Order, and she’s a freaking brat.”

Misaka grabbed her cellphone and dialed a number. “Hello? Imouto?”

_“‘Hello, Big Sister. Do you need something,’ asks Misaka 10032, curiously.”_

“Imouto, we’re trying to locate a Sister called ‘Last Order.’ Does that sound familiar to you?”

_“‘Last Order was developed as the final test in the Level 6 Shift, but due to the shutdown of the project, she was released prematurely,’ Misaka explains, hoping her exposition contributes to the plot. To further contribute, she is now determining Last Order’s location using a telepathic connection. Last Order is located in a building in District 2. The coordinates are as follows.”_

“Got it.” Nolan nodded. “Let’s go, Misaka.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Accelerator stated. “The kid’s my responsibility. And I have to pay back whoever’s behind this.”

“Why are you so concerned about one of my Sisters?” Misaka asked. “Last time we met, you were trying to murder them all.”

“Oh, are you still hung up about that? Look, that’s all in the past. I was just trying to go back to my normal life when suddenly that kid shows up and starts bugging me.” Accelerator looked away and blushed. “I know it sounds cheesy, but being around her that long, it made me think those ‘sisters’ of yours actually had feelings.”

“If you want to come, use this.” Nolan injected him with some Formula Q. “This will temporarily restore mobility in your bones. What’s your power, anyway?”

“I can manipulate vectors, and that sorta makes me a multi-bender metahuman.” Accelerator released the crutches and stretched his arms and legs. “Wow, those are nice drugs, old man.”

“Sigh, you trust people a little too easily.” Misaka said to Nolan.

All three of them got in the Sandmobile, with Accelerator in the back beside Revan. “Ooo, I can sense darkness within this one.” Revan commented. “Hey, how would you like to be my apprentice when I take over?”

They drove to District 2 and located the designated building. Nolan had to input the code ‘Judgment’ to get in, and it seemed to be a police training hall. It was dark, empty, and eerily quiet. Sandman used Detective Vision and saw two child-size figures underneath. “They’re downstairs.”

They found a way into the basement, Misaka lighting a spark on her fingertip to provide light. The basement was nearly pitch-black, so Misaka made the spark brighter. Immediately, they saw a 10-year-old girl with a blue dress in white spots and light-brown hair hanging from the ceiling on strings. “There she is! Last Order!” Accelerator shouted.

“And she’s not alone, punk!” A blonde boy in a pink feathered coat descended from the darkness like a spider.

“Doflamingo!” exclaimed Sandman. “It really was you… You were behind the Level 6 Project.”

“You are correct, Sandman.” Doffy said with a shiny grin. “Dr. Clown told me about the project last year. Apparently, he had some friends that were in on it. I expected someone to get in my way… and of course, it had to be you.” He grit his teeth as temples formed on his scowl. “That’s why I had to lure you here… the man who murdered my father…”

Revan gasped loudly. “NOLAN! I knew you were a fan of bastards, but I didn’t think you would go THAT far! You are just BRIMMING with evil! And IIIII love it.”

“Doflamingo, your father’s death was an accident! I tried to save him, and I would have… but the fact remains that his own actions led to his demise.”

“Ohhhhh, so Cheren killed him.” Revan analyzed. “Damn, that’s gonna be really awkward.”

“It’s too late for your apology, Sandman! Still, my revenge is merely a small side quest in my _master_ plan.”

Nolan launched the grappling hook at him, but the rope was sliced by another force. A child-size being in a white coat and gloves walked out. “So, that’s the original Misaka. I really don’t feel much power radiating from her.” The being said in a somber voice.

“It’s… the Level 6…” Misaka spoke fearfully.

“Heh… Level 6… Level 5… such small, inconsequential numbers. I admit, there are some impressive benders in this city, but far from understanding what true power is. You know just what I’m talking about, don’t you… Nolan York.” The person took off his coat and dropped it.

Nolan tore off his mask, believing his eyes were fooling him for a second. But he couldn’t deny… he’s seen this man before… “I can’t believe it… You’re the Level 6 subject… the Ultimate Life Form… Shadow the Hedgehog!”

_

Agent of CP0  
SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG

_

He was a black Mobian hedgehog with spiked hair that was partly red, red eyes, wore white gloves with gold wrist rings, and white and red rocket shoes. “We haven’t seen you since the Firstborn Quest. Why are you murdering Misaka’s sisters?”

“Because I ordered him to.” Doflamingo said. “It was the test that would officially initiate him as a member of CP0.”

“CP0? So, the World Government had another league of assassins after CP10?”

“No. CP0 was formed by Rob Lucci.” Shadow said. “Since your World Government is now nonexistent, we’re an independent force. We have no masters and live under no law. We’re invisible. Zero. Of course, even we need benefactors. That’s why Lucci directed me to Doflamingo.”

“But why? What’s your goal? To destroy the Kids Next Door?”

“If that were it, we would have done so by now, given the current situation.” Doffy replied. “Their aim is actually much, much higher. Right, Shadow?”

“You know the problem yourself, Nolan.” Shadow began. “The chaos that plagues this universe. It started 23 years ago, and it happened again three years ago. The universe fell to shambles, all because of the gods that command it. They give bending to mortals, and those mortals continue to rise to the level of gods to the point their power commands them. The KND may pose as heroes for saving the universe, but the same chaos will continue to happen. That is why, the goal of CP0 is to assassinate the gods!”

“That’s impossible, even for you. A god can only die if they have children, and in the event those children die, the god will be reincarnated.”

“You’re wrong, Nolan. There is a way to destroy the gods. A way that can only be achieved by those with incredible strength. That’s why we at CP0 are conducting assassinations of the highest tier.”

“So, that’s why I heard Lucci was fighting in Heaven’s Arena.”

“Indeed. Unfortunately, I’ve been ordered to assassinate you for getting in my way. After all, we can’t have word of CP0 getting out just yet.”

“Shadow, we were allies back then! Team Sonic and the Kids Next Door, we saved the universe together! What would Sonic say now if he saw you like this?!”

“We’ll never know, will we? Sonic is dead.”

“He… What?”

“Perhaps you can ask him when you get to the afterlife. Tempest KICK!” (Play “All Hail Shadow” by Crush 40!)

 

_Boss fight: Shadow the Hedgehog_

Shadow swung an air-splitting kick that Accelerator discharged with his powers. Misaka blasted lightning at the hedgehog, but Shadow dodged with the blink of an eye and appeared at their side. Shadow jabbed a Finger Pistol at Accelerator, but he formed a shield around himself, then Misaka shot lightning at the hedgehog. Accelerator zoomed away, then zipped behind Shadow in attempt to reverse his blood flow, but Shadow sensed the attack and dodged, firing a barrage of aerial Finger Pistols at Accel. The boy endured the barrage, but Shadow zipped behind him and sliced his back, leaving a gash.

Shadow dodged when Misaka shot lightning, going above her and swinging a kick down, but Misaka leapt back and ran, keeping her body electrified. Shadow used repeated Shaves to speed around Misaka from many directions, going faster and faster before dealing a Finger Pistol to her back, using Armament Haki to get through the electricity. Misaka quickly reached back and grabbed Shadow’s head, inducing him with lightning. Misaka zapped lightning at Shadow’s shoes and magnetically glued him to the floor, running far and charging her Railgun.

Shadow was able to get free, zipping to Misaka’s side for a Tempest Kick, but Accelerator quickly reversed the attack against him. The former Level 6 had used his power to reverse the blood back into his wound. Shadow charged his Spin Dash and shot at them like a cannon-pinball, Accel pouring every ounce of strength to push him back, all the while Misaka charged a Railgun. Shadow quickly uncurled and Shaved behind them, and Misaka immediately about-faced and fired the coin.

Shadow was blown against the wall, but he had combined Iron Body with Haki to withstand the attack. Shadow Shaved to them again, swinging kicks and karate chops that the duo defended from using their powers. Accelerator released a pulse that blew Shadow and Misaka back. He shot a glare at Shadow, then glanced to Misaka with a smirk. Misaka charged lightning, aimed at Shadow, but suddenly shifted her direction to Accelerator. The metahuman held his hands behind him and compressed all of the lightning into a single core. Misaka gave him even more until he had an electric ball that was two feet wide.

Shadow smirked and threw off his wrist rings, brimming with a powerful aura. Shadow charged at Accelerator full speed, and the metahuman slam-dunked the electro sphere into the Ultimate Life Form. The result was an explosion that blew the building off of its foundation. (End song.)

The building flew across the city and landed in the middle of a construction yard. The carpenter sighed, “Sigh… I hate this city.”

After the dust settled, Doflamingo was revealed to be protected in a string cocoon. Nolan was able to retrieve Last Order, having wrapped the girl in his arms. Misaka and Accelerator were exhausted, and Shadow lay defeated on the ground. …The hedgehog opened his eyes and casually got back up. “Heh… Finally, I’ve been given a real challenge.”

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me…” Accelerator sighed.

“Fufufufufufu! I think it’s time to be rid of this little nuisance.” Doffy said. “End them, Shadow.”

Suddenly, needles appeared in Shadow’s arms and legs. “ERRGH!”

“That’s as far as you go!” Shirai Kuroko teleported into the room. “As a member of Judgment, I am placing you under arrest for attempted murder and destruction of property!”

“Kuroko…” Misaka said in surprise.

“Oh, great, another nuisance. Shadow, get rid of-”

“‘If you kill anyone else, then let it be us,’ Misaka says with bravery.”

Doflamingo was shocked to find a swarm of Misaka Clones surrounding the hole in the ground where the room was. “‘We Misakas have decided we are not going to play your game,’ says Misaka, continuing the noble speech.”

“‘It occurred to us that the Level 6 cannot become stronger if the Misakas refuse to fight,’ Misaka explains our earlier realization.”

“‘So, now the Misakas will no longer fight you. By all means, you may destroy us all here and now,’ Misaka says with fearlessness. All of her sisters share her determined, yet seemingly emotionless auras.”

All of the Sisters sat down and closed their eyes. Shadow examined them curiously, sensing no intentions to attack. “…Well, this is a major drawback in the plan. If they aren’t going to fight, I have no reason to waste time with them.”

“Hold on a minute!” Doflamingo shouted. “I gave you an order to kill Sandman and his colleagues! Besides, you can’t possibly let them live, knowing about CP0!”

“Hey, genius.” Vanellope jumped out of Nolan’s watch. “I heard everything you said. We just posted everything about CP0 to the Internet. The KND’s gonna hear and so will everyone else.”

A sweatdrop trickled down Shadow’s fur. “Well… I’m never gonna live this down. ’Guess it’s time to leave.”

“NO! You didn’t complete your mission!” Doffy stated. “Do you want your pay or not?!”

“I don’t care about money. I just needed experience, which your Misaka Clones can no longer provide. Farewell… Sandman. I look forward to seeing how strong your kids have become.” Shadow kicked on his rocket shoes and vanished in a blink.

“AAH!” Nolan grabbed Doflamingo by the scruff and propped him over his leg. “What are you doing?!”

“Something your father never did!” Nolan raised his Armament hand.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Misaka, Accelerator, Kuroko, and Vanellope shielded their eyes from the cruel punishment. The Misaka Clones remained completely indifferent at the sight. When it was over, Doflamingo was knocked out.

“Mission accomplished.” Nolan declared, hanging him over his shoulder. “I’ll take this kid off your hands.”

“Sandman, wait!” Misaka ran up to him. “I…I…” She looked away with a blush. “Thank you… for saving them. Really. If there’s anything I can do-”

“We still need to find all the Riddler Trophies in this town.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I’ll be glad to help with that!”

“Siiiissyyyyy…”

“Uhh…” Misaka awkwardly turned to, “Kuroko?”

“You had 20,000 sisters and you NEVER TOLD ME?!” The pigtailed girl grabbed her friend and shook her frantically. “How could you?! I would’ve KILLED to have 20,000 clones of you! More Sissies than I can fondle, more than enough to last me a thousand lifetimes!”

“Kuroko, this is exactly why I never told you, I knew you would overreact this way, and besides, a whole lot of them were killed!”

“All those chances to build gravestones for you, all those opportunities to cry for you wasted, why don’t you tell me about these things, why do you deny me my rights?!”

“This was none of your business, Kuroko, and I wasn’t gonna have you trying to molest my Sisters, quit shaking my…!”

Leaving them to their quarrel, Nolan strapped Doflamingo in the Sandmobile and took off for GUN. “Ergh…ugh…ow… my bottom…” Doffy grunted.

“Are we awake?” Nolan asked.

“YOU! You son of a bitch… you had NO right to do that!”

“Someone had to teach you respect.”

“The only one I respected was my father! And you let him DIE!”

“Your father was evil, Doffy. You didn’t have to be like him. Your sister was happy to be free from him. You could’ve joined her.”

“You think you know what’s good and what’s evil in the world. People like you who are all about justice, not caring who you hurt. You don’t deserve to call yourself heroes!”

“If you don’t care who you hurt either, you’ll have a hard time getting us to listen…” 

They arrived at GUN H.Q. and parked in the underground garage. Nolan dragged Doflamingo to the same cell as the other villains, allowing him to join the club. “I was doing the world a favor getting rid of those clones. You want to encourage overpopulation, Sandman? It’s bound to happen once aliens start flooding the place.”

“It’s a big universe, Doffy. We’ll make room.” Nolan sealed the cell.

“You really have a way with words, Nolan.” Revan said. “And you’re very subjective in who you help and who you hurt. So, what’s next in our objectives?”

“I might as well rescue the parents from Riddler.” Nolan said to himself. “Then I’ll help with Mandy’s problem. By then, hopefully I’ll find where Affright’s hiding.”

 

**In the next chapter, we’ll do the Tea Party Conspiracy side quest. Be prepared for Plot Twist #2.**


	10. The Tea Party Conspiracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sandman helps Lord Mandy uncover the conspiracy plot in her crew.

**We’re doing TWO Riddle Rooms today!**

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Chapter 10: The Tea Party Conspiracy

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**Academy City**

Nolan regrouped with Misaka and began the Riddle Hunt in this city. There was a building that looked like a giant, blank TV screen. Misaka could power up a generator and activate the screen, revealing a giant Tetris game. Nolan used a control pad to play the game, and he had to score 5,000 points to win a Riddler Trophy.

**? This successful man met a Figured end, but this building exists to help kids bend. ?**

They received this riddle close to a school, where a bronze statue stood in the front yard. The school was labeled _Icarus Bending Academy: We’re the Bendiest There Is!_ , and Sandman quickly realized who the statue represented. “So, Jonah Icarus used to live in this city…?” Nolan snapped a picture of the statue.

They found graffiti on the wall and ground of an alley. The wall writing spelled _LOUISE_ , and the ground writing looked like letters of a keyboard. Nolan absorbed water from a nearby puddle into his Poltergust, using it to wash out the keyboard letters that spelled Louise’s name. After washing them out in order, he earned the trophy.

They found a Riddle Cube in the middle of an underground mall. The first room was a very long corridor with a dark chasm, with targets floating up and down. This was an obvious test for Misaka’s Railgun, the girl waiting until the first target was in front of her before blasting the coin clean through all of them. The second room had a giant metal ball, which clearly had to go through a hole high up on the wall. Misaka used her bending to magnetically lift the ball and put it through the hole. The third room set them on wires with Li’l Sparkies. There were five wires completely lined with Sparkies except for small gaps. Sandman and Misaka jumped within those gaps as they made their way up and retrieved the last trophy.

**? Your partner LOVES this little frog, just see for yourself, you naughty dog! ?**

“Hmm… What do you suppose that could-” Nolan was about to ask.

“Oh my gosh, it’s the Marshmallow Don Gero Plushy!” Misaka beamed, hands and face pressed against a window. A plushy of a wise frog sat tauntingly before her eyes. “Awww, why did this have to happen when you were on sale? Sandman, it’s not stealing if I take the plushy and leave money on the counter, right?” Nolan shook his head and snapped a photo of the solution.

The 15 breakable objects in this town were tankards of Bang Gas that Sandman could destroy by applying Explosive Gel, getting a safe distance away, and setting it off. When they went back into Academy Studios, they had to destroy 15 posters of _Batman and the Musical Meister_.

There was a puzzle where Misaka had to use her bending to hack into the minds of three Riddlerbots and make them stand on three switches. These switches would activate some “?” switches, on the ceiling, a wall, and another wall around a corner, and they had three seconds to hit them all in a combo. Since Misaka was keeping the robots in place, Sandman had to spray Explosive Gel on the corner switch, get close to the far switch, toss a boomerang at the ceiling switch, set off the Explosive Gel, then finally toss a boomerang at the far switch to win the trophy.

With another hundred Riddles crossed off their list, Sandman and Railgun headed for the newly marked location on the map. They found an elevator that brought them down to another Riddler Room. They were met with a pleasant melody, seeing a Riddler hologram quickly playing a piano. _“Glad you could make it, Sandman and Friend! This challenge is called Musical Maniacs. You know, playing an instrument is a lot like playing a videogame: it takes sharp reflexes and a sharp mind to memorize all the complicated combinations. Unfortunately, you’ll only have one chance to memorize this one.”_

They looked across a pit to see Eva Jackson trapped in a cage, which was flooded up to her neck. There were five wires attached to the cage from each side. _“I thought Princess Eva would feel more comfortable in the water, but I had to keep her chi-blocked, of course. However, this woman won’t feel as comfortable if these Li’l Sparkies reach her cage. There are two types of targets: normal Sparkies, and chi-blocked mines that will electrocute Eva upon contact. You’ll have to use teamwork to protect Eva by destroying your respective targets. The test will end when my music… stops! BEGIN!”_

Li’l Sparkies and “?” targets began moving along the lines like notes on a sheet. Sandman could break the targets with boomerangs while Misaka had to discharge the Sparkies. _“Sandman is a maaaan of justiiiice. But everyone knows he’s a joooooke. His terrible fist, robs bad guys their bliss, crushing their souls with a chooooke. And then there is I: The Riddler! I love to educate, yes I do. I reach out to this brute, yet he gives nary a hoot, and he turns me black and blue!”_

Riddler stopped singing for a moment, so the targets stopped coming. Riddlerbots came out to attack the duo, so they quickly engaged them in combat before the next verse. _“Laaaa diiiii la-di-daaaaa.”_ Misaka stopped fighting them to quickly shoot the Sparkies. Riddler silenced again, and they quickly took out the last robots. _“Praise me, IIII’m the Riddle God! Cry to the song as I plaaaaay!”_ During the long notes, a row of targets traveled a line. _“Admit that IIII’m too much for you! May your failure make my daaaaay.”_

Riddler silenced again and summoned more robots. One robot thrusted its shield at Sandman, but he simply jumped above and stomped down on the mech. He then swiped the shield from another mech, used it to knock it down, then stab the robot’s chest. Misaka used lightning to stun a robot, allowing Sandman to do a takedown, and when the last robot charged at him, he tossed a boomerang through its forehead.

 _“My voice… is an intelligent symphony. My knowledge enlightens your soul! And once I’ve ended your life, I’ll be taking your wife, and-if-I-were-to-stop-making-riddles-life-would-have-no-meaning-and-you’d-blow-your-brains-onto-the FLOOOOOR!”_ Even more targets came during that verse, and they were barely able to hit them all. _“Laaaa la laaaaa la-di-daaaaa! Ee-yah-di-di ya-di-daaaaa!”_ Riddler jumped on his piano and began playing air-guitar. _“DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, I’m the Riddle God! And this is the SONG that I SAAAANG! Tell me that I deserve betterrrrr! And in shame, let your head haaaaang._

 _“…Sigh, that was true beauty, Sandman. I don’t expect you to appreciate it, but I digress. You are free to take the princess with you.”_ Eva’s cage opened and spilled all the water out.

Nolan grappled over and helped undo her gags before swinging back. “Are you alright, Eva?”

“No, Nolan, I’m actually pretty *** mad. No woman wants to spend their Halloween stuck in a damn cage up to her neck in water. Honestly, what’s the matter with that man?”

“Egotism, narcissism, autism, Asperger’s, OCD, obsession with collectathons, desperate need for attention, too much free time-”

“I DIDN’T need a LIST, NOLAN.”

“Okay, okay!…” Nolan figured she was still upset over her son’s death. He glanced down to the fallen Riddlerbots and decided to ask, “Eva, do those robots seem familiar to you?”

“Sigh, I dunno, why do you ask?”

Sandman approached one and observed its large grin, cone nose, and small round eyes. “These robots… look like the ones Dr. Eggman used to use.”

“Oh. Well, they do have that creepy look. Maybe he just modeled the design after Eggman’s.”

“What reason would he have for doing that? I’ll have GUN look at one of these robots.” Sandman lifted one up. “They should still have some of Eggman’s robots from the Firstborn Quest. Maybe they can find similarities in the designs. As for me, however, I have more Riddles to hunt.”

**London**

Nolan and Sebastian found a trophy inside a dead-end hallway behind a fence, where one simply needed to press a switch to open the cage. However, Nolan told Sebastian to stay outside while he collected the trophy himself. As he expected, Riddlerbots jumped out and trained their guns on the Sandman. With Sebastian gone unnoticed behind them, the butler was able to Stealth Kill each one of them.

A Riddle Cube brought them to a room with a refrigerator and a strong waterfall blocking a passage. Sandman used the Poltergust to absorb an Ice Spirit from the fridge, freeze the top of the waterfall to block it, and afterwards grapple hook the trophy on the wall behind it. The second room had them propelling up in the air via a giant fan. A bunch of papers were blowing around and a Riddler Trophy among them. The duo smacked away dozens of papers and barely had time to grab the trophy. The final room simply had the trophy sitting in the middle—Sebastian yanked Sandman back when a gigantic Thwomp crashed down, taking up every space except the sides of the room. They waited for the Thwomp to rise before grappling the trophy over.

**? This sneaky robot has no shame, what is his 4th favorite game? ?**

They received this riddle in another graffiti-filled alleyway. It didn’t seem like this graffiti was connected to any trophies, but one piece of it stood out: it was pixel-like and depicted the face of a robot. Sandman snapped a picture of the riddle solution, and for some reason heard a “Hehehehehe!”

The 15 destructible objects around London were golden ghost mice, hidden inside wedges of cheese. Sandman had to snap pictures of the cheese to make them come out, and afterwards suck the mice into his Poltergust. In the Noah’s Ark Circus, the 15 objects were snakes hiding in little holes. Sandman had to lure them out with the Grapple-Cam, leaving Sebastian to catch them.

Now that Sandman has 400 Riddles inside his Infi-Cube, it was time to venture to the next test. The entrance was at the base of the Big Ben, the elevator leading them far below the clock tower. The Riddle Room in question appeared to be an underground artificial forest. Sandman searched around, expecting to see a Riddler hologram. An upside-down “?” swept by his face, and they looked up to see the hologram swinging by his feet on a trapeze. _“Didn’t you simply enjoy the sights at Noah’s Ark Circus? How lovely it was to watch humans embrace their inner ape. I hope to get as much joy from you, as I watch you navigate my Forest Maze!_

 _“The rules are simple: make your way to the end of the maze and free Luvbi before the oxygen is sucked out of her cage. But what is a maze without riddles, eh Sandman? Begin!”_ (Play “Forest Maze” from _Mario RPG_!)

The entrance to the maze opened. It smelled like a real forest, but the trees were clearly cardboard. It started as the typical “four different directions,” with Sandman and Sebastian constantly taking left and right turns, yet they somehow kept ending up at the start. “Sandman, perhaps it is best if we observe our surroundings more carefully.” Sebastian said, tapping the floor with his foot. Sandman caught notice of that unusual spot and vacuumed up a paper that blended itself with the floor, revealing a sewer hatch.

They dropped in the hatch and reached the next room. There were five paths to choose from and each one had smiling, dancing flowers beside it. When Sandman tossed boomerangs at them, they made squeaky sounds, except for one group that made a “FAZOO” sound. They deemed that as the path to follow. The next room had four vents in each corner of the ceiling. It seemed that Pac-Man was behind bars in the walls, following wherever the duo went. Pac-Man always had a silly smile, except when he turned sad near the far right vent. The duo grappled up that vent.

The next room had mirrors all around the walls that also served as doors. The only way to solve this puzzle was to observe each mirror closely, Sebastian thought aloud. So, the two heroes stood close to each other and walked sideways, staring into each mirror. One mirror had their faces switched, so in they went.

They were ambushed by five robots in the next room, two with shields and two with shock rods. Their choice weapons made it complicated for the duo, but they were able to prevail. When they killed the robots, their heads would pop off their body in the direction of one of five doors. “Hmm… Sandman, do you remember which one wasn’t wielding a weapon?”

“It was this one.” Nolan answered, leading the way to the door. His instinct was correct. The final room had a floor filled with fans blowing up through holes. Sandman tossed his Remote Boomerang to look into the fans, but it was blown up before he was able to. Instead, Sebastian offered to glide into the currents and quickly search them as he was blown up. He saw that one of the fans was a spinning yellow smiley face.

“Sandman, it’s the middle-right-top one!” Sebastian shouted before vanishing up a hole and reappearing at the start. Sandman dove off the foothold and quickly glided to the appointed fan. The second he was blown up the ceiling hole, he was in the room with Luvbi’s cage. The timer had 10 seconds left, so he quickly sprayed Explosive Gel on the glass and blew it up.

Nolan undid Luvbi’s binds and helped the Nimbi woman to her feet. “Huff…Huff… PRAY, what taketh thee so long to rescue me?!”

“You’re welcome, Luvbi.”

“Ay, me. Well, a bit faster next time, yea?”

“Luvbi, do you have any idea where Riddler’s taken Danika?”

“Pray, wherefore would I know of such?! …Although, I am remembering something odd Riddler hath said. He sayest something about the Sandman’s wife becoming a star before laughing maniacally.”

“That’s concerning.” Sebastian said, having quickly run back through the maze to reach them. “You don’t suppose he’s taken your wife to outer space?”

“If that’s true, the only place I can think of would be the Moonbase.”

“Whatever the case, ’tis not my problem.” Luvbi stated. “Space is not my element. Now, wherein lies the exit to this place?!” (End song.)

Thankfully, the exit to this room led straight back to the start of the maze. From here, they took the elevator outside and called a GUN plane to take Luvbi to headquarters. “Well, until we’re sure of where Danika is, the only other thing on my agenda is helping Mandy with her problem.”

“I find it an odd coincidence that Lord Mandy’s ships have been appearing unusually frequently.” Sebastian said, gazing up at the sky. The flying Boogey ships blended well with the darkness.

“Care to join me for some espionage?” With that, both jumped into the Sandwing and took to the heavens. They pretended to drive away from the town before cloaking the aircraft. They quietly flew toward the Boogey ships and watched as they were descending toward the ground.

 _“Okay, I think that Sandguy is gone. Let’s wrangle us some ghosts and get outta this town.”_ The demon’s voice was picked up by the Sandwing.

“Did Mandy send them to catch ghosts?” Sandman wondered. The ships hovered over the town and dangled fishing rods to lure some in.

“Well, we demons find souls to be quite delicious.” Sebastian replied. “The ghosts that form from natural spiritual energy are often used as ingredients for marvelous confections. Sniff, sniff, sniff… In fact, I can already smell a fine stew brewing in that ship over there.”

“You can smell from this far away, from inside the Sandwing?”

“Well, what kind of butler would I be if I didn’t have superior senses?”

“Hmm… Alright, then let’s put them to the test. See if you can tell what they’re making.” Sandman flew closer to the nearest ship.

Sebastian sniffed and reported, “They’re cooking Jelly Chu Stew with a touch of Powder Spirit. Oh, my mouth is watering already!” They flew to the next ship and Sebastian took a large whiff. “This one is baking cookies and doughnuts. And they seem to be coated with Icing Ghosts. Including some of which that are native to Whole Cake Mountain! My, they smell marvelous…”

“Are any of these toxic to mortals?”

“No, mortals would enjoy them, too… though their taste buds are not quite as appreciative.” They flew to the next ship. “And this one is baking cupcakes. They’re going to be topped with Dark Icing to get the consumer addicted. And… hmm, that’s an odd smell.”

“What’s an odd smell?”

“It could be my imagination, but I’m detecting… the faintest smell of Toxichu. But no demon would be foolish enough to add THAT to a sweet.”

“Sounds like something to investigate.”

“Leave it to me.” Sebastian dove off the Sandwing and landed in an alley. The Black Butler made his way underneath the ship and grappled up to a hatch on the bottom. From there, he snuck into the ship’s kitchen and found the cupcakes baking in the oven. Sebastian pulled the pan out and set it on the oven. The cupcakes were in the middle of transferring to their solid state, and Sebastian picked through a certain one, not bothered by the heat. “As I thought…” Sebastian drew a tiny needle from the dough.

The butler brought the entire pan back up to the Sandmobile, where Sandman called Mandy while displaying the view of the unfinished cakes. _“I sent those ships to London because I heard a lot of ghosts appeared in the area. The sweets they were making were going to go on my dessert table, including those cupcakes.”_

“Then it’s likely this needle was intended for you. It’s full of Toxichu Jelly.” Nolan explained. “The Dark Chi Icing was meant to get you addicted to the cupcakes, ensuring you would keep eating them until you swallowed it.”

_“I’ve heard enough. I’ll send an interceptor to capture them. As for the cupcakes, feel free to toss them. Or eat them. As long as they’re not on my table.”_

“Are you satisfied now?”

_“We still haven’t determined who the mastermind is. Get back to work, trooper.”_

“No rest for the weary butler.” Sebastian said with a smile.

**Academy City**

There were four different Boogey ships looming over the corners of Academy City. “So, those ships belong to a Yonko?” Misaka asked. “I don’t know much about them, but I heard they were really dangerous.”

“I always felt they were all talk. I know a Kids Next Door operative that was able to beat THREE Emperors.”

“Ha ha, really? This sounds like a real powerful operative.”

“No kidding. …Oh! I think we found suspicious activity.” Sandman said as they witnessed a shadowed figure diving off a ship. They flew the cloaked Sandwing down onto a rooftop and parked there before diving to the streets. Sandman used Detective Vision to track the mysterious figure, following him to an alley, down a long flight of stairs inside a building, and to a sealed door. The figure typed a code into a mechanical terminal to unlock the door and slipped inside, closing it quickly.

“I can’t believe it.” Misaka said as they approached the door. “This door still uses one of those old-fashion button locks. Unfortunately, I can’t hack something like this.”

Nolan hardened his fist and punched the button lock, breaking it and unlocking the door. “That’s how people hacked things in the old days.” They entered the dark building, Misaka looking at him with disbelief.

Still using Detective Vision, they were able to keep a safe distance from the figure. They passed Revan by one of the corners.

“You know, Nolan, I think I know why you held off on Mandy’s mission so long: you’re jealous of how much she’s accomplished. When you were kids, she was a mere rookie pirate and you were a Sith’s apprentice. Now, she’s an Emperor and you’re a worn-out wannabe crime-fighter. Where did it go wrong, Nolan? I’ll tell you where: having a kid.”

The figure stopped in the next room, so the two stopped where they were. Sandman sent the Grapple-Cam into that room, remaining hidden in the darkness as they recorded the interaction. The figure pulled back his hood and revealed to be a Stalfos. He was meeting with another hooded person, who had the head of a red gem. “You made sure you weren’t followed, right?” the Gem asked in a male voice.

“In a random little building in an indistinct part of a city, who would follow me down here? So, do ya have it?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s right here.” The Gem grabbed a small pink diamond from his coat pocket.

“That’s it?! It’s way too small to be Pink Diamond!”

“I shrunk it, smarty! It’ll grow back to normal in 10 minutes. And believe me, it won’t be easy to carry.”

“I’m just saying, a million units is a bit much for something like this.”

“Hey, this is the genuine article! You know how much we had to go through to rob this from Emera’s Catacombs?! Either you buy it now or I’ll sell it to someone who will.”

“Okay, okay. Here, one million units worth of Mon. Now, I gotta send this diamond to the party quickly.” The demon placed the diamond in a small purple chest with a star; it was a Vanishing Box. “Arrrgh… well, here’s hopin’ what you say is true. Otherwise, I’ll have me skull crushed.”

The Sandman grappled the Stalfos from behind and yanked him over, grabbing the skeleton. “It’s too late for that!” The Gem drew an Ether gun and tried to shoot him, but Misaka quickly blasted him with lightning. “Someone has something to say to you.” Nolan said, holding up his wristwatch.

 _“Hello, Stalven.”_ Mandy’s voice was heard.

Stalven gasped. “Don’t tell me… she heard everything?!”

_“Yeah, I heard you.”_

Sandman bashed the skeleton’s skull and knocked him out. He then grabbed the Vanishing Box and opened it, but the inside was completely empty. “It’s already gone.”

_“Damn. The person on the other side must’ve grabbed it already. That’s what you get for acting too late, Nolan. Don’t fail me next time. I’ll send a team to grab those two.”_

“If she’s supposed to be a criminal, why are you helping her?” Misaka asked.

“She’s not that evil. She’s just shy.”

**Quahog, Rhode Island**

“Nolan, don’t you find it odd that every one of your mission objectives take place in the same four towns you’ve been visiting on this adventure?” Crystal asked.

“I think of it as the universe’s way of making my job just a little bit easier.”

There were three Boogey ships looming over the skies of Quahog. Sandman drove close to one and listened to a group of Lizalfos. “Lord Mandy said the Lizalfos on the _Boogey Swine_ all got wiped out. Apparently, she let them be sacrifices in some sort of ‘test.’”

“Hey, my cousin works on that ship! What’s Lord Mandy thinkin’; I mean, what’s the test even about?!”

“She wouldn’t tell us any more than that. But hey, once those guys come back to life, we’ll ask them. It isn’t like they actually could’ve died, right?”

Sandman found nothing suspicious in their conversation and moved on to the next ship. This one was run by Darknuts. “Why did Lord Mandy send us to this town again?”

“She wants us to keep an eye on it in case the situation gets outta control. I dunno why she cares so much about this town.”

“Maybe she has friends or relatives here or somethin’?”

“Awwww.” Nolan smiled. “Mandy really does care.”

“Anyways, I’m starvin’.” a Darknut said. “I saw one of the Fatblin go down to the doughnut shop. I say we break in a restaurant and steal us some food!”

The previous sentence caught Nolan and Crystal’s attention. The other Boogey ship was hovering over the approximate location of the doughnut shop. They parked the Sandwing on a different roof several blocks away before gliding over to the shop. Nolan used Detective Vision and determined there was someone in there, a Fatblin to be specific. He climbed into a rooftop vent and crawled to an area above the storeroom, where the Fatblin was stuffing doughnuts into a magic pouch.

“What?! What do you mean you’re being attacked?!” the Fatblin said into a phone. “Your poison needle was discovered? Graaaaahhh! I can’t believe this! It’s bad enough that she suddenly has a craving for doughnuts, even though we didn’t even bring her to life, yet! What if this entire plan goes south?! If Lord Mandy figured you out, it’s only a matter of time before she-… Hello? …Damn.” The Fatblin sighed. The other end had gone dead. “Even if the ritual is successful… we’ll never be able to crush the fleet at Port Rivera if Mandy is still alive.”

“Sucks to be you.” Sandman grabbed the Fatblin by the neck from behind, then Crystal shoved the head of her staff down his throat to set his guts aflame. She yanked the staff out as Sandman shoved him to the ground and knocked him out.

_“Bravo, Nolan. I’ll send someone to grab him. Now, if you would, come and meet me on my ship.”_

**Port Rivera; _Boogey Coast_**

_“AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHH! WAAAAARRRRR…!”_ The four apprehended traitors were squirming in their cell, trapped in an unending nightmare.

“This is what happens to all who plot against me. Remember that, you two.” Mandy stated.

“What good does it do?” Nolan asked. “They’re still refusing to talk.”

“Are you sure, Nolan? I think that last one gave us a fair share of information.”

“He seemed to be in contact with the crew with the poison cupcakes. According to him, whoever they’re working for is conducting a ritual meant to bring someone to life. Wait…” Sandman remembered Aya’s words. “Dr. Drevis mentioned giving someone her secret recipe.”

“Secret recipe to what?” Nagisa asked.

“To bringing a dead person back to life. Aya was able to revive a criminal by attaching his soul to an artificial human body. …And judging by what the Fatblin said, they’re already in contact with the soul in question, because he said ‘she’ was hungry for doughnuts.”

“That’s not the part that concerns me.” Mandy said. “He also said that, after their attempt to poison me, they were planning to crush this entire fleet. But if I were to die, this fleet would’ve been long gone from Port Rivera before the enemies could get to our location. …Unless, of course, these operations were occurring CLOSE to Port Rivera.”

“Hold on, you are a Yonko, right?” Nagisa asked. “I mean, I just assume your crew would be able to defend their selves with or without you.”

“Indeed… unless they were pitted against another Emperor’s crew. Or worse…” Her eyes widened, “another Emperor!”

“But… who?!”

“Doughnuts… cupcakes…” Nolan thought aloud. “It would have to be… BIG MOM!”

This sent chills down Nagisa’s and even Mandy’s spine. “Grrrr! CREEPER!”

Mandy’s henchman skittered downstairs and saluted. “Yes, Captain?!”

“Tell me if there are any candy stores in or anywhere near Port Rivera! Candy stores or any place that sells sweets!”

“Errr-” Creeper quickly flipped through a guidebook. “Aha! Armando’s Azúcar! It’s 10 miles west of town, meant to attract travellers on their way to town. Uh, but why do you ask?”

“Nolan, Nagisa, go investigate.”

The two quickly boarded the Sandwing and flew away from the town, crossing miles of desolate wasteland before finding a small, lone building. The windows and doors were boarded shut, some letters on the name had fallen off, and there was a sign that read, _Closed for repairs. Definitely not bought out for the purpose of an evil deed._

“Definitely the place.” Nolan said before bursting the door open with Explosive Gel. There were colorful tables lined around the place and shelves lined with jars of candy. It was so dead and quiet for such an important place. So quiet that it was scary. Scarier than Mandy herself.

_“Stooool~”_

“GYAH!” yelped Nagisa, falling on his rear. He had touched one of the stools, and it suddenly grew a face and started chanting.

_“Stooool! Stooool! Stooool!”_

“M-M-M-Mr. York…”

“Nagisa, over here.” Nolan gestured over behind the counter. He climbed into a trapdoor. Nagisa tried to tell him about the stool, but couldn’t find the words, so he gave up and went after him.

The duo made their way down an extensive passage with many turns. They walked down some stairs- _“Staaairs. Staaairs. Staaairs.”_

They looked down with a start. One of the steps had a face and was singing. “M-Mr. York, there’s something not right about this place.”

“Let’s keep moving.” Sandman said, not letting his own worry show.

They passed under a swaying lightbulb. _“Old lightbulb, old lightbulb, old lightbulb.”_ They passed by some shelves with teacups. _“Teacups! Teacups! Teacups!”_ And litter on the floor. _“To-go bags! To-go bags! To-go bags!”_

The deeper they got into the hideout, the greater they could hear faint music and chanting. They entered a singing door, and the song grew even louder. They were met with an intoxicating scent that smelled like cookies, cake, and chocolate all being baked into the same pot. There was a fence nearby, overlooking a room with a bright pink glow. Sandman and Nagisa calmly approached and crouched behind the fence. They were not prepared for what was inside.

A stream of pink smoke traveled along the walls, giving faces to all the flowers and sweets that it touched. A ghost-like figure danced in midair, twirling her magenta dress and her massive pink, curly hair. The woman was five stories tall, her nose was long and pointy, and the mouth on her pudgy face looked like it could store 20 wedding cakes.

The woman danced above a lying body of herself, surrounded by eight torches. Underlings were playing music; they consisted of demons, Nimbi, Goombas, and even dragons. _“HAH HA HA HAH! Maaaamama mama. Tell me how long until my return?”_

_“Only a minute, Mamaaaaa~!”_

_“Analog! Analog! Analog!” sung the clocks._

_“And the little Empress outside, tell me, does she knoooow?”_

_“Nooooo ideaaaa, Mamaaaaa~!”_

_“Nail polish! Nail polish! Nail polish!”_ sung the pink nail polish.

There was a strum, and the singing picked up. _“A REVIVAL, REVIVAL, IIII can’t waaaaiit! It took so long to maaaaake!”_

_“The budget? (We got plenty!) Ingredients? (We got high quality!)”_

_“JAMMIN’ JELLY BLOOD!”_

A large pink Goomba in a pink sun hat said, “Got them.”

_“Buttermilk Skin!”_

A white mermaid with white hair said, “Got it.”

_“PINK DIAMOND!”_

The chest on the corpse was shining pink. A Pink Pearl said, “Affirmative.”

“THEN LET’S BEGIN!” declared the giant. The flames brimmed to life as a pink column erupted from the body. The spirit was slowly absorbed into the body, and it rose from its rest like a zombie. The giantess opened her mad pink eyes, and she licked her cherry lips to confirm her taste buds were there.

The woman took a tremendous whiff with her big nose. _“SNIIIIIIFF! Is that powder I smell?”_

_“Just somebody’s ash!”_

_“Is that strawberry ice cream??”_

_“Made of somebody’s brain!”_

_“With little SPRINKLES on it?!”_

_“Nope! Just dead Minish!”_

_“CAN’T SAY I CARE EITHER WAAAAAYYY!”_

Pink aura shone from her body. Before everyone’s eyes, a golden sun with a face appeared beside the giant and lit up the room. Some of the pink smoke turned white and became a smiling cloud with a baseball cap.

 _“This day will be rued by eeeeeveryooooone! The Big Mom Pirates are BACK TO HAVE FUUUUUN!”_ The song entered its final verse as the pirates danced with the purest enthusiasm. Nearly every object in the room had grown a face and were dancing in synchronized fashion. To Nolan and Nagisa, it was like a Disney movie come to life.

_

The original Pirate Emperor  
Co-founder of the Earth Kids Next Door  
SHERRY LINLIN

_

“Now, then…” The Emperor smirked at the little fence beside her head. “Who dares eavesdrop on my party?”

“WAH!” The duo were kicked down into the room by a robed figure. This person jumped in after them and pulled back her hood: she was a woman with chestnut hair in pigtails and three eyes.

“They’re intruders, Great Grandma.” said Lala Stork.

“It can’t be… You’re not Big Mom.” Nolan spoke in awe. “You’re her ancestor… Sherry Linlin.”

“Well, it seems you’ve done your homework!” Sherry spoke with a big grin. “Then perhaps you’ve come to join my crew!”

“We’re here to put a stop to you!”

“Uh, are you sure about that, Mr. York?” Nagisa asked worriedly.

“At this very moment, Pirate Emperor Mandy and her crew are amassing around this very area! I’m afraid your return will be short-lived.”

“Oh, my… Not even home for five seconds and I already have to squash some bugs. Zeus, get me out of this stuffy shop!”

“Okay, Mama!” said the cloud, shutting its eyes and shaking as it built up electricity.

The Boogey ships on the surface were blown asunder by the thunderbolt that erupted from the ground. Daylight seemed to return as the sun rose from the resulted hole, shining upon the titaness on her rumbling raincloud. The Boogey Pirates trembled at the sight of this powerful entity. The titan’s eyes fell to the young woman on the flagship.

For a moment, Mandy was intimidated by her figure. She shook it off and ordered, “All hands, OPEN FIRE!”

All demons unleashed all of the fury in their entire arsenal. The Wizzrobes cast volleys of spells, the Lizalfos combined their elemental powers, and they mixed shrapnel in with cannonballs. Sadly, Sherry didn’t seem to suffer a single scratch.

“Useless fools.” Mandy’s eyes shone with malice. “I’ll do it myself.” Her body burst with a column of fear. Within seconds, the Fear Empress had grown twice Sherry’s size, garbed in a blackish-red cloak of smog with large shoulder blades. Mandy took a great breath, and Sherry attached the sun and cloud to her fists. Mandy blew with the strength of a thousand tornadoes, and Sherry struggled to push against the overbearing Cloud of Fear.

“AAAAAAHHH!” The fear seeped into Sherry’s lungs, and her mind lost any sense of self. Only one thing lodged itself into her brain: _“Doooooughnuuuuuts.”_

“Grandmama! Are you alright?!” Lala asked.

 _“DOOOOOOUUUUUGHNUUUUUUTS!”_ Her body burst with psychic and blew the pirates off her. _“ZEEEEUUUS! Carry me to DOUGHNUUUUUTS!”_

“Sherry, you promised you wouldn’t do this if you came back!” the cloud said.

“We have no choice!” the sun followed. “You remember what happened 5,000 years ago! Hurry, find a doughnut shop!”

 _ **“DOUGHNUUUUUUTS!”**_ The titan charged through the Boogey ships and bolted across the valley.

“AAAH! SHERRY!” Zeus swooped down and caught Sherry on his back, lifting her off to the sky alongside the sun.

_“DOUGHNUTS! DOUGHNUTS FOR DAAAAYS!”_

“GWAH!” Zeus yelped when Sherry began chewing him. “First she mistook me for cotton candy and now this?!”

 _“GRANDMAMAAAA! COME BAAAACK!”_ The Big Mom Pirates raced after them, with two Nimbi carrying Lala Stork.

Nolan and Nagisa weakly climbed out of the hole and met with Mandy. “Well… that didn’t go as I planned.”

“Gunkan, this is Sandman.” Nolan spoke into his communicator. “We’ve got a new crisis on our hands.”

_“What could possibly be happening now?!”_

“You remember Big Mom, right?”

_“I don’t like where this is going, Nolan…”_

“Well… I think they just created a Big Mom 2.0.”

_“Who-… Ugh, I don’t even know how to respond to something like that. Just return to base and explain to me directly. Actually, someone just arrived, and they’re looking for you.”_

“Who is it?”

 _“Hello, Nolan! Hope you aren’t going as Batman again.”_ came the voice of Jack Skellington.

 

**This chapter basically sets up the story _Pirate Wars_. Next time, we will finally get back to the main story.**


	11. What the Nightmare King Feared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandman and Jack Skellington head to Knowhere in search of Darkrai II.

**Time to finally head to the next town!**

****

**_

Chapter 11: What the Nightmare King Feared

_**

****

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

_“DOOOUUUGHNUUUUTS!”_ The large screen in the communications room depicted a ravenous titan rampaging an unsuspecting town. _“DOOOUUUGHNUUUUTS!”_

“I can’t… believe it…” Brett Gunkan said, pinching his nasal bridge. “After everything that’s happened tonight… we’ve got a reanimated Big Mom to deal with now?!”

“Uh, actually, according to Sandman’s report, her minions seem to refer to her as ‘Great Grandma.’”

“Send our strongest platoons to bring that giant down! Do whatever it takes!”

Meanwhile, Sandman had gone to the medical wing. He peeked inside Haruka’s room and found Jack Skellington looking over her. Jack was a tall, lean skeleton with a black suit and a round skull. “The situation is worse than I thought…”

“Do you know how to help her, Jack?” Nolan asked, entering the room.

“Oh, this is beyond my expertise, Nolan. Haruka’s been emotionally shattered. She was pumped with Fear Gas at the same time as undergoing a traumatic experience.”

“Renbourn…” Just thinking of him made Nolan’s hatred grow.

“The only one I know who could fix such a mess is my father… but it can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nolan…” Jack faced him, “the reason I came here is because Nightmare Land has been taken over. It was Affright. He overpowered my father with Horror’s Hand and he’s now using the Fear Factory to produce legions of evil Nightmares.”

“Didn’t you ask the GKND for help?”

“The GKND are overrun! The Fear Factory usually produces more Nightmares on Halloween than any other day, but thanks to Horror’s Hand, we’ve had a surplus! They’re attacking the GKND and all the other ones, too! I came here hoping to seek help from the Earth KND… but it seems I’m too late.”

“So, Affright is on Nightmare Land. Then let’s head there and rescue your father!”

“Unfortunately… ever since the attack, my father hasn’t returned. They’ve taken him somewhere else. They’ve taken him to a place called Knowhere.”

“Like Nowhere, Kansas?”

“No. Knowhere is a galactic mining colony. It’s run by Taneleer Tivan, one of the greatest crime lords in the universe. Word is he’s a Collector of rare items and creatures.”

“Taneleer Tivan…” Nolan spoke reflectively. “Of course. He was the man that bought Horror’s Hand from Mandy. I think I’ve seen him in a dream… And Horror’s Hand was there. Jack, we have to go to Knowhere!”

“Well, we can definitely get there on my ship, but are you sure this planet will be safe without you?”

“I’ve already bagged most of the villains I was chasing tonight. GUN can keep things under control while I’m gone. I’ll also take Vanellope with me.”

_“That’s probably a good idea. But Mr. York, you know I won’t be able to contact you if you’re all the way in space, right?”_

“I know, Carol. I’ll try to get back as soon as possible.”

“Then let’s get going!” declared Jack.

**Springfield, Oregon**

Sherry Linlin had torn the roof off a doughnut shop and grabbed handfuls of the little delicacies, tossing them all in her mouth in one gulp. “MMMMMMMA MA MA MA! My beautiful doughnuts! How thankful I am to be reunited with your taste! Jelly, powder, chocolate, custard! Oh, but this is nothing compared to the wonders that await me…”

“Great Grandma?” Sherry looked down to her right as Lala Stork approached.

“Oh, it’s the three-eyed girl… Who were you again?”

“I’m Lala Stork, Grandma. Well, Lala _Pudding_ Stork.”

“Pudding, eh? Mamamama! That proves you are a member of my family! And I’m sure there must be many more.”

 _“Don’t worry.”_ Sherry heard a man’s whisper. She looked behind her to see Homer Simpson sneaking off with a powdered doughnut. _“I’ll make sure she never gets you.”_

“GIVE BACK MY DOUGHNUT!!” Sherry swiped her massive hand right through the man’s body and yanked out a pink soul that represented him.

 _“Aaaaaaack!”_ Homer’s soul was choking as Sherry squeezed it by the neck. It was still attached to his body by the neck, so it looked like a rope strangling him.

“Oh? This is unprecedented. I seem to be holding onto his life force.”

“Do you think that power is because of the Pink Diamond?” Lala asked.

Curious, Sherry looked down her dress to see her chest glowing pink. “How interesting.” she said, ignoring Homer’s choking. “Combined with my psychicbending, reclaiming my place as an Emperor will be easy. I guess I had better start learning to use this.” Sherry completely severed the soul from Homer’s body. The dimwitted man fell to the ground with his tongue sticking out. He shared the fate of the rest of the ravaged town of Springfield. Sherry casually walked out of the town, across Moe, Flanders, and all the other fallen souls.

**Knowhere**

Knowhere was a gigantic skull in the depths of space, surrounded by an Oxygen Bubble. Inside was a somewhat decrepit town with multiple layers and full of thuggish aliens. “Legend has it that this station is the head of an ancient celestial being.” Jack Skellington explained. He and Sandman were perched atop a roof on one of the higher layers. “The Tivan Group mined it for rare and valuable minerals. That’s how he became so rich.”

“I don’t care how rich he is. I just need to know where he is.”

“I’m sure we’ll find some clues. We just have to _know where_ to look.” Jack sported a grin at his own pun.

“…I have not heard a joke like that in a _really_ long time.”

“You’re welcome.” Jack grinned. “Now, let’s start searching.”

The duo took flight down to the streets (Jack brought his own glider), blending in with the crowds of alien thugs. Sandman looked ahead at a trio of alien children, wearing ragged clothes and happily chasing each other barefoot. “Are they orphans?” Nolan asked.

“Possibly. This isn’t a very wealthy side of the galaxy. Tivan is the only one who lives here in luxury, profiting off the misfortune of others.”

“Someone needs to do something.”

“Maybe, but that won’t be us. Once the Kids Next Door are rescued, they can decide when to do it.”

The kids ran up to the duo, holding their hands up with hopeful expressions. “Sigh… well, I don’t know if this money’s any good, but eh.” Sandman grabbed a 5-dollar bill from his pocket and put it in a water alien’s hand.

A human-like girl with pointed ears and brown hair held her hands up to Jack. “Oh… I don’t have any money.” he said regretfully. “But I can do this!” The skeleton twirled in place and released a flock of colorful music notes in the air. The notes formed into the face of a jack-o-lantern, and afterwards Jack’s body combust with flames as he donned the attire of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow, breathing flames as the notes did the same. The kids were in awe as they clapped at the display.

“Dammit, Nolan, you’re being showed up again!” Revan shouted. “Quick, do some psychicbending, choke some of those thugs!”

“&$%*!” The long-earred girl spoke in an alien language that expressed her gratitude.

“Oh… that’s Hylian, right?” Jack pulled out a translator. “Well, you’re welcome, little girl. Say, could we ask you something? We’re looking for Taneleer Tivan. Do you know where he resides?” He held the device to the girl as it translated his words.

“Tivan?” the girl replied, Sandman looking over the translation. “No, we don’t know where he lives…”

“Wait a minute.” Sandman took the translator. “Do you know about any bars in this town?”

“Bars? What about the Boot of Jemiah? A lot of people go to that place.”

“Thank you. Come on, Jack.”

“Why do you think we should go there?”

“In the dream I had, I think Affright and Caesar were in a bar before someone led them to Tivan. It might be the key.”

The Boot of Jemiah certainly appeared to be a center of attention, and it was connected to an even larger structure. The inside had everything a common bar would have: a pool table, a poker table, and a pole where a Glomourian woman was dancing. Their attention was drawn to a very fat humanoid with long ears, a droopy face, and a yellow shirt, using a mechanical inner-tube to float around while his little legs dangled.

“Hur hur hur! Yes, that’s how I like it, ’ey?” The fat man cheered, throwing money at the Glomourian. “You Glomourians were always so beautiful. ’Course, I would kill for an Amazonian, but we don’t have the space, ’ey?”

“Hey, you.” The man frowned angrily and looked down at Sandman and Jack. “You the owner of this joint?”

“WHO wants to know, ’ey?!”

“I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. We’re looking for Taneleer Tivan.”

“And I’m looking for a thrill ride with this woman. Piss off, ’ey?”

Sandman grappled him down and grabbed him by the neck, while Jack got behind and touched his claws to the top of his eyes. “Want us to get violent, ’ey?!” Nolan threatened.

Everyone in the bar drew guns and trained them on the duo. “Surprise, surprise.” The man smirked. “I’m the _second_ richest man around these parts. I’m part of the Tivan Group, and lots of these men rely on me for their welfare. Name’s Krew. Now, let me go and I’ll tell you where to find him, ’ey?”

Sandman kept his glare sharp, but released the humanoid balloon. The thugs sheathed their guns and resumed their activities. “Now then… see that little passage over there? That’ll take you right to him. But you won’t be able to breach his security door, ’ey? A while back, these people made a bargain with him, and this man in a green question mark suit installed a new code lock in his door. Even our best hackers couldn’t crack it. But maybe you can, ’ey?”

Curious, Nolan and Jack followed the passage and located a sealed door with a terminal. The terminal had a “?” on its screen. “It can’t be…” Nolan tried to hack the device, but his screen merely displayed static.

_“That’s right, Sandman! It is I, The Riddler! It is time for the final round of smarts! This code lock is sealed with an impenetrable digital barrier, and the only way to decrypt it is to find 20 of the 100 Riddles hidden on Knowhere.”_

“Vanellope!”

“I’m on it!” The Program jumped into the lock.

Inside the digital space, Vanellope was gazing up at a tremendous green barrier with a giant “?”. She was intimidated at first, but cast her fear aside as she zipped around the barrier and attacked it on each and every angle. Unfortunately, the tiny Program made zero dents in the impenetrable structure. She decided to drop back on the ground and press her hands against it, asserting her faulty Digital Chi over the barrier. “GAH!” She was blown back by its superior defense, her body glitching. Vanellope gave up and jumped out of the terminal. “Dad, it’s too strong. I can’t get in.”

_“That’s too bad. I guess you’ll have no choice but to play my game. 20 Riddles, Sandman! Of course, any wise player would find all 100. After all, a certain someone is dying to see you.”_

“Danika…” Nolan immediately knew. “Come on, you two. We have more Riddles to find. Hopefully for the last time…”

“Now, if you boys would like an alternative,” Krew flew up to them with a long paper, “I have a list of 50 errands that I need someone to run. If you do them, I may be able to-”

 _“We’ll do the Riddles.”_ Nolan and Jack ignored him and moved on.

**? After Seven Lights, he had Knowhere to go, how he got here, we may never know. ?**

At first, they weren’t sure who this riddle could be referring to, so Sandman aimlessly snapped pictures of everything in the bar. At one point, his goggles read _Subject Obscured_ , so he walked in that direction and discovered a cowboy hat and sunglasses on a table, next to some Goofy Goober Dollars. It was no doubt a reference to Plankton’s old bounty hunter, Dennis, and the solution to the Riddle.

There was a Riddle Cube behind the curtain of the Glomourian’s stage. The first room had five targets moving around the wall and balls around the floor. Jack could use a green flubber-like whip called a Soul Robber to grab the balls and chuck them at the targets, hitting all five and winning the trophy. The next room had a large icicle on the ceiling with a frozen trophy. Jack’s Pumpkin King fire breath couldn’t reach it, but Sandman could absorb it in the Poltergust and shoot fireballs up to melt the ice. The trophy fell down to their possession. The last room had a trophy behind a glass square over a pit, with searchlights and guns protecting it. Jack whirled his Soul Robber and tossed it to his side, so that it went around the glass and snatched the trophy.

They explored the town for more trophies and found another ball puzzle, in the form of Skee-Ball. They pressed a switch to start the game with 10 balls, and Jack had to grab them with the Soul Robber and throw them in the holes. 500 points were required to win the trophy. It took a few attempts on Jack’s part, and they would get a rude remark from Riddler at each fail, but eventually he won.

**? Krew’s top hit men, I would be quite scared, of seeing the guns these two bear. ?**

They received this riddle in an open shooting range. There was a display of a large gun trophy labeled _Jak & Dax_. This trophy served as the solution to the Riddle.

The 15 destructible objects on Knowhere were Christmas present pads. Jack would don his Sandy Claws attire and place presents on those pads. The presents would explode and destroy the pads.

**Another hour of hunting later…**

_“I-Impossible! Y-Y-Y-You found ALL 500 RIDDLES?! IMPOSSIBLE! You must have cheated! Grrrrr! Fine, Sandman! Enjoy your moment of pride, because it’s about to be stopped DEAD! Head to the location on your map for your Final Trial! That is, if you’re BRAVE enough…”_

“Here we come, Danika.” Nolan spoke passionately.

Vanellope came out. “Sheee’s gonna kiiiill yoooou when she finds out you’ve been using Formula Quuuuue.”

“I can make her understand.”

The Riddle Door was located on the west edge of Knowhere. The elevator brought them far down to the bottom of the outside of the station, the gravity altered so that they were upside-down. They were at the start of a racetrack, and all the competitive racers were in karts built for two: Sly Cooper and Bentley, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Banjo and Kazooie, Yooka and Laylee, and The Riddler and a Riddlerbot (who would start in 1st place). The pairs were facing opposite directions, but the back racers had steering wheels.

“Hm heh heh heh. Welcome, Sandman, to the Space Coaster.” The Riddler smirked. “This final challenge will be classic _Mario Kart: Double Dash_. Our audience has long been awaiting the great race.” He pointed to a cage where Danika was trapped helplessly. Unlike the other captives, she wasn’t blindfolded, she was ecstatic to see Nolan. There was a tube at the top of the cage, aiming into deep space. “She would absolutely DIE if her husband didn’t win! Because if he doesn’t, she will be SUCKED into deep space and breathe her last! We have a kart set up for you two. And feel free to read the instructions before we begin.”

Nolan and Jack approached the empty kart, set in last place. “Why is the wheel facing the other way?”

“Easy! Because all our karts are programmed to drive backwards! You must instruct your teammate which way to turn and what buttons to press. The best part is these other racers are robots. It’s not too late to back out, Sandman.”

“Not on your life.” Sandman took the driver seat while Jack took the front seat. “All those Sandmobile races will finally pay off.”

“On your mark…” Riddler began. “Get set… GO!” (Play “Big Blue” from _Smash Bros. Melee_!)

The racers kicked off at high speed, but Nolan and Jack had already fallen behind. “List toward the right.” Jack instructed, Nolan steering the wheel counterclockwise carefully. They hit some “?” blocks, and a roulette spun on Jack’s side, indicating they got triple Red Shells. They were driving into a field of giant springs that threatened to fling them into space. Nolan evaded the springs under Jack’s instruction, and Jack was able to hit Yooka-Laylee with a Red Shell.

The track divided in two, and the duo decided to take the top track. They had to drive up ramps to go over gaps, and they were steadily catching up to Banjo-Kazooie. Jack shot a shell at them, but they blocked it with their own shell. They drove up a blue ramp that triggered their glider to activate, and Jack had to instruct Sandman to maneuver around columns of fire. Banjo-Kazooie hit one of the fires and slowed down, allowing Nolan-Jack to pass them as they landed.

They crossed the first checkpoint and entered the 2nd lap. “What?! You’re still alive? What’s the matter with you robots?! We practiced this a hundred times in the simulations! Surely, the real thing can’t be smarter than my HOLOGRAM!” They were driving toward a series of small islands in a lava lake, the racers needing to use spring pads to propel up and steer their cars to them. Nolan-Jack were able to land on a high platform to the left and go up another Glide Ramp, soaring over the lava and claiming a “?” Block. They earned Triple Mushrooms, not a moment too soon as they were zooming across a region of Dash Panels.

They were closing in on Sly-Bentley, who had a Green Shell and were determined to take the heroes down. The second the shell launched, Jack used a Mushroom to boost their kart, bounce the shell back with the momentum, and knock Sly-Bentley out of the way. “Impossible! You can’t do that in _Mario Kart_!” Riddler shouted.

“You can now!” Nolan retorted. Jack quickly used the last two Mushrooms to cover some ground, passing Ratchet-Clank as they were going through a track of steep hills with tight left and right turns. They hit another “?” Block and earned a Spring Pad, which would propel them up from wherever they were—however, their item was stolen by Ratchet-Clank, who used a Boo.

“A Spring Pad?” Clank observed. “That may not be wise to use in this area.”

“SORRY, SUCKER!” Vanellope jumped out of Nolan’s watch, over to their kart, and stomped the item button before quickly glitching off. The Spring Pad forcibly activated and sent Ratchet-Clank flying.

“WHOOOOOAAAA!” Ratchet screamed.

“Hm? Hum, huh—uuuuuhh… mmm, bup-bup.” Clank screamed.

“Was that… his scream?” Vanellope asked, feeling like she needed to hear that again.

They crossed the next checkpoint and entered the Final Lap. They grabbed a “?” Block and won a Place Swap. Jack fired it dead ahead and hit Jak-Daxter, stealing their 2nd place spot. “Impossible!” The Riddler shouted, looking back to see them. “You were supposed to have crashed into the lava lake after Banjo-Kazooie sniped you with a Bob-omb! We choreographed it and everything! I HAVE THE MATH EQUATION RIGHT HERE!!” He raised a piece of paper as it flapped wildly.

Nolan-Jack got a Green Shell, and they dodged a banana peel from Riddler. Nolan got them lined up as best he could before Jack launched the shell and hit him. The heroes passed The Riddler, and it was just a clear cut to the Finish Line. “GRRRR! You will NOT win this!” Riddler input a cheat code to give himself multiple Red Shells. He fired them one by one, but Sandman tossed boomerangs to hit them with great timing. “Stop… not… DYIIIIIINNNG!!” Seething with rage, Riddler input a Crazy 8’s code. In a flash, his kart was surrounded by eight items.

It would take a slow-motion effect to see what happened next: Sandman saw the Star about to circle to Riddler’s front, and so he stomped the brake, slowed down, and swiped the Star right from him. Their kart turned invincible, and Riddler unfortunately touched them and crashed. The heroes sped to the Finish Line with nothing to stand in their way. Meanwhile, Banjo-Kazooie had launched a Blue Shell, but by the time it caught up, Nolan-Jack had already crossed the Finish, so the Blue Shell set its sights on Riddler. “This game hates me.” was the last thing he said before his kart exploded. (End song.)

Nolan quickly jumped off his kart and ran to Danika’s cage. Nolan sprayed Explosive Gel, blew up the glass, and helped his wife get out. “Huff…huff…” Danika immediately grabbed him in a hug. “Nolan… you made it…”

Nolan took off his mask. “I know I’m always late to dinner… but I always make it back.” And the two shared a romantic kiss. If Jack had tear ducts, he would be wiping some away. Seeing them together reminded him of someone special.

The two broke apart and shared a smile. Danika glanced down, and then she realized: “N-Nolan… where’s your wheelchair?”

“Oh… yeah.” Nolan blushed, scratching his head. “The thing is, I’ve… been using Formula Q.”

**Back in the town**

“GAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Nolan came blasting out of the elevator, crashing on a road as the aliens panicked. Their hearts filled with dread when a black cloud of shadow loomed over them, glowing white eyes gazing coldly at the man.

 _“NOLAAAAAAN!”_ He got up and ran as fast as possible, but the shadow gracefully soared over him, curved down, and stopped in front of him.

“You idiot, why did you take the Chi Gloves off?!” Revan asked.

“Danika, I had to use it! There was no way I could’ve-” The shadow grabbed him by the collar and opened a void on the ground. “HONEY, PLEASE!”

They both sunk into a Veil. Aliens gathered around and watched as the furious woman smacked and kicked him around like a ragdoll. It was the most convoluted and explicit display of shadow puppets they had ever seen. _“WAKAAAAAAA-!”_ Danika cried, twirling her arm, and giving Nolan one final powerful PUNCH that sent him flying high and crashing on the street.

The shadowbender emerged from the ground, panting. “YOU PISS ME OFF SO MUUUUCH!”

“’ey, what kind of crazy lady are you?!” a thug asked.

 **“I’M A HOUSEWIIIIIIIIIFE!”** Her face turned demonic again.

“RUUUUUUUN!” The aliens cleared the area.

“Sigh… Alright. I’m going for a walk. When you’re ready to leave, come get me.” With that, Danika left.

“Ehhhh… I got slagged.” Nolan grunted.

 _“She gives you strength, she shows she caaaaares…”_ That majestic voice could only belong to Jack. _“No matter how much it hurts down theeeeere.”_ Jack helped Nolan to his feet. _“She will always stand by yooooouuu… As you can seeee… to put it simple-lyyyy… you’re just meant to beeeee…”_

“…Well, we should probably save your father.” Nolan said.

“Oh, alright, then.” Jack frowned.

“This is exactly why I turned gay.” Revan commented.

After returning to the Boot of Jemiah, they were able to use the data from the trophies to unlock the door. They passed a short corridor before arriving at the museum from Nolan’s dream. Dozens of glass cages, filled with the rarest items and creatures imaginable. A bright blonde man in a black robe turned to his guests. “So, you’re Taneleer Tivan. The Collector.” Nolan spoke.

“And to what do I owe this intrusion?” Tivan spoke calmly. “I do not welcome visitors unless they have something to offer me.” He glanced at Jack. “A living skeleton? Hmm… living skeletons are rare, but _hardly_ rare enough for my Colleción.”

“I’m not just any skeleton, you know! I am the Pumpkin King!”

“Ohh! Then I take it you are here for the Nightmare King.”

“WHERE IS HE?” Nolan asked demandingly.

“I was told someone would try to rescue him.” Tivan walked over to an empty cell. “Back in July, two men came to my museum. One of them was fascinated by one of my items. Horror’s Hand.” He put his right hand to the case. “He was the first man I know that was able to wear Horror’s Hand, without succumbing to pure madness. He demanded he take it, but then he promised a trade: he would deliver the Nightmare King to me before Halloween.” Tivan faced them again. “And yet, it is not the same. The price on the king is nothing to the price on the hand. If you return Horror’s Hand to me, I will be happy to trade.”

“No. We need Darkrai if we’re going to get the hand back. We’ll bring it to you after you release him.”

“Then I propose a game: find Darkrai hidden amongst my Colleción within the next five minutes, and I will let you take him.”

“Let’s see if his cellphone is still active!” Jack grabbed a Spider Cell from his shirt and dialed a number.

 _“EEEEEEEEK!”_ Tivan’s chest seemed to jump. Jack narrowed his eyes and reached a hand out.

“Sigh…” Tivan withdrew a bottle of milk from his robe, the shrunken Nightmare King inside it. Jack snatched the bottle, tore it open, and poured the milk onto the ground. Black was merged in with the white, and in a moment, Darkrai grew back to his full size and form.

“Father!” Jack helped him to float. “Father…”

“Ergh… Jack…” Darkrai weakly opened his eye. “N…Nolan…”

“Darkrai, you must know about Horror’s Hand.” Nolan said. “You know Affright has it. He’s using your Nightmares to attack the Kids Next Door. We need to know how to stop him before something terrible happens!”

“NO!” Darkrai started back to full consciousness and flew a few feet away. “No! No one can stop it! No one can stop him… All is lost…”

“What are you talking about, Father?”

“Listen, Son… there’s something about Horror’s Hand you don’t know. Horror’s Hand… was the very first Nightmare my father created. It is… my older brother.” A Dark Void appeared around Darkrai and expanded, swallowing them in.

They were shown a vision of the Holy Nightmare, who had his left hand raised as multiple streams of red energy flowed into it. _“It’s true that my father channeled all the fears of the universe into his left hand, intending to create a weapon that mortals would fight over. But what he created was something far beyond his expectations.”_

When the fear had finished flowing in, Darkrai I raised the Nightmare Sword and CLEAVED the hand clean off. There was a blinding flash as the hand shone with incredible power. Darkrai I watched as red mist enveloped his severed hand, molding it into a small, humanoid shape.

The creature had a black, smoke-like body with a head that looked like a helmet. The helmet had three horn-like protrusions, with the center one almost resembling Darkrai’s flame-like head. Its neck had a large collar, blowing in the wind, it had bulbs on the back of its hands, and its feet looked like they were blending in the shadows. It had red eyes with yellow pupils, and tiny yellow spots above them.

At that moment, Darkrai I was filled with curiosity. He slowly reached his right hand to pick up the tiny creature. “…Papa?” it spoke.

 _“AAAAAAAAAHHHH!”_ All of a sudden, the Nightmare King was awash with terrible fears even beyond his comprehending. _“Wh-Wh…What is this?! What ARE you?!”_

“Papa… what’s wrong?…” The creature slowly stepped closer.

 _“GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!”_ Darkrai I grabbed his sword, pointing it at the imp as he hesitantly floated backward. Compared to the tiny creature, the Nightmare King was a towering titan of fear, and would seem to have the superior advantage in power and terror. And yet, the little creature before him, without even doing anything, was superior in every way.

“Ha ha ha!” The creature smiled and pranced up to him joyfully. “Daddyyyyy!”

Darkrai STABBED the tiny creature with his tremendous sword. Using all the power he could muster, he transformed the creature into a hand with an eye on the palm.

 _“And so, my father hid the Horrible Hand deep in the Underworld. He created a statue Nightmare called Horror and tasked him with guarding the hand. Afterwards, he molded an artificial left hand; he was a leftie, you know. And then, many years later, he created me.”_ They watched as Darkrai I grabbed hold of his right pinky nail and forcefully yanked it off. _“With only his pinky nail, my power was substantially smaller than my brother’s.”_

Darkrai ended the vision, and they were back in Tivan’s museum. “Wait… I can understand that Horror’s Hand is more powerful than you or the first Nightmare King… but how the hell is Affright able to flaunt it around so casually?!” Nolan questioned. “He doesn’t even have fearbending, so how could he control something that powerful?”

“I… don’t know… but it matters not. Horror’s Hand cannot be defeated. It’s over.”

“You can’t be serious, Father!” Jack shouted. “There HAS to be a way to stop it! If we don’t, the Kids Next Door is-”

“I can’t!” Darkrai cried. “When my father told me this story, he… gave me a taste of the fear he once felt. I still feel it… the eye of Horror’s Hand is burned into my mind. My brother is angry at my father. He is angry at me.”

Nolan grabbed his skinny flame head in his Armament hand. “I don’t care how damn scared you are! You’re coming with me back to Earth! We need to save Haruka and all the other operatives under Affright’s spell!”

“D-Don’t make me! J-Just put me back in the milk!”

“Pearl, fetch another bottle, and a mop.” Tivan ordered his slim, blue servant.

“No milk for you.” Nolan took the empty bottle from Jack and shoved Darkrai inside it, having to use his finger to poke him in all the way. “Come on, let’s find Danika and get out of here.”

“I’ll recycle my bottles from now on…” Jack replied.

**Close to G.U.N. H.Q.**

What the Sandman and Jack didn’t know was that Affright had left Nightmare Land the moment Riddler reported they were on Knowhere. He was nearing GUN with an army of Nightmares at his behest. “The Kids Next Door… heroes admired by all. What lies these people believe. The Kids Next Door were never there for me… the only friend I had was Fear.” Affright stared at the Eye of Horror. “But the Kids Next Door have forgotten what fear is. And because of them, the world has forgotten. But I will remind them. I will show them why the Kids Next Door must be feared.” He raised Horror’s Hand, the eye shining in GUN’s direction. “I will make the Kids Next Door hurt them… _just like they hurt me.”_

 

**Tivan is from _Guardians of the Galaxy_ and Jack is from _Nightmare Before Christmas_. I’ll let you sort out Riddler’s racers. The story is entering its endgame, people. Next time, we will look at Affright’s backstory, and his bond with Horror’s Hand.**


	12. Nobody’s Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affright's Nightmares are attacking G.U.N. H.Q., so Sandman hurries to challenge the villain!

**We got an intense chapter today. Play “Auras” from _Hunter X Hunter_.**

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Chapter 12: Nobody’s Hero

_**

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**Year 2008**

_I was born with a rare skin condition. Ever since I was young, I looked like a scarecrow._

An 8-year-old John C. Fright was at the playground. One bully grabbed him while another threw birdseed on his face, then he opened a cage and released two crows as they pecked him mercilessly.

_It was a dark era for children. A time of hatred and discrimination. And yet, there was one pure heart among this sea of darkness._

A soccerball came flying and struck the bully holding John, knocking him out. The boy was able to shoo the crows away as he looked up at his savior: he was a charming boy of 19, with black hair, pants, and a brown sweater.

_He was my brother… Joe Fright. He always looked to me with kindness, and was the only one who gave me hope._

“Don’t let them get to you, John.” Joe said as he was driving his brother home. “Kids like them just don’t understand that some people are different from others. But some day, they’ll understand.”

_But I had other beacons of hope. Other sources of entertainment. That came in the form of newspapers and YouTube videos. There was a group that was quite popular._

John was reading a newspaper titled, _The Kids Next Door Strike Again: Turnip Farm Destroyed!_ It had a picture of the old Sector V. “Hey, Joe, are the Kids Next Door really as bad as the adults say?”

“To be honest, I don’t think they are. I heard that turnip farm was using dangerous steroids. A kind that makes plants grow like you wouldn’t believe and even attack you. You never hear about the Kids Next Door attacking police stations or stealing babies from hospitals, though. I feel like they’re… unrecognized heroes.”

“Do you think…you think I could be one?”

“Well, if you wanna be, go ahead and ask ’em.” Joe smiled. “There’s a giant tree a few blocks down.”

 _Alas, I was afraid to go close to it. Afraid to approach them because of my appearance. Yet, I would always look at that tree with hope. Believing it may just be the gateway to new adventures and new friends._ John Fright gazed at Sector Q’s treehouse with a smile.

_Little did I know that the KND had a dark side. And I was staring right at it. It was only a few days after when I learned the truth. The day I learned what true fear is._

Joe was driving his brother home from school on a sunny and pleasant day. They heard a siren, and Joe looked back to see a cop. “Oh, come on! I was going _one_ mile over the speed limit.” Joe begrudgingly pulled the car over. He rolled the window down as the cop approached them. He was slightly obese and his expression was nasty.

“Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?”

“I was speeding?”

“Yes. Any faster and you could’ve run someone-”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, just take a look at my license so I can…” As Joe reached into his pocket, the cop took a glance at John. The sight of his face made the cop startled for a moment, and when he looked down at Joe’s hand in his pocket, that brief spark of fear got the best of him.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” In a split second, the cop grabbed his gun and shot Joe dead.

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!” John quickly kicked open the door and bolted up the street.

“Hey, kid, wait!” the cop called.

“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP, MY BROTHER’S BEEN KILLED! SOMEBODY!” His instinct told him to run to the giant treehouse. Coincidentally, a girl was walking out of the house, by the name of Gwen Tucker. “HEY! Are you a Kids Next Door operative?!”

“Huh?!” Gwen whipped around at the shorter boy, grossed out by his face.

“Please, help!” John grabbed her shirt. “My brother was killed by an evil police officer! You gotta do something before he-”

“GET OFF ME, YOU FREAK!” Gwen kicked him in the face and ran away.

_As I lay there, the spot where her shoe made contact began to burn my scarred face. I was falling into a sea of despair. In one fell swoop, my two beacons of hope were lost. All I felt was fear. But when I look back, I realize that the cop and the operative made their decisions solely based off of fear. I laughed at how easily fear could manipulate a person’s mind. But in time, the Kids Next Door seemed to forget that fear. It was like the event never happened._

Twenty-three years later, people from all over the universe cheered for the KND as they played in the Field Day tournament. People from Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Sweetopia, everywhere came to idolize these valiant, powerful heroes. Lost among the crowds was Affright. His rage was so strong, it could be felt by emotionbender Harvey Harper.

_They had forgotten what it means to be afraid. They had been blinded by their own power and strength, fooled into thinking they had erased all fears of the universe. But I would prove them wrong._

Affright opened the cage in Tivan’s museum and took Horror’s Hand. Its eye shining, Affright was forced to relive his tragic memory a hundred times in one minute. Finally, the soul that inhabited Horror’s Hand appeared before him in the darkness.

_“The Kids Next Door betrayed you… You depended on them, and they hurt you. …I was hurt, too.”_

_It turns out, the spirit of Horror’s Hand was the first son of Darkrai the First. His power was so great that the Nightmare King feared him. At that moment, we felt a special bond. We both understood how it felt to be betrayed. And so… he decided to help me in my quest._ (End song.)

**Current time**

Nolan, Danika, and Jack were returning to Earth on the latter’s UFO. “Nolan, if Affright’s on Nightmare Land, shouldn’t we head there and get it over with?” Danika asked.

“The three of us aren’t gonna be enough, Dani. We need Darkrai to heal Haruka, and then possibly heal the Kids Next Door. They’ll be far more capable in stopping him. Not to mention the matter of clearing their name-”

The ship trembled suddenly. “Uh-oh! We’re being attacked!” Jack yelled.

“SURPRIIISE!” A group of five green ships were pursuing them, commanded by The Riddler. “You didn’t think you would destroy my Holo-Riddler and get AWAY with it, WOULD YOU?!”

“Dammit, Nigma, we beat you fair and square!” shouted Nolan.

“LIAR! There’s no WAY you could’ve solved them all! I’ll make you pay for humiliating me! Robots, activate the Nigma Beam!” The five ships charged green lasers and fired them at the UFO simultaneously.

 _“Riddle RIDDLE Riddle RIDDLE Riddle RIDDLE…”_ The inside of the ship started flashing green as question marks blinked around the room.

“None of my controls are responding!” Jack panicked.

_“The Nigma Beam is also known as my Glitched Controller Attack. Have you ever experienced a game controller going faulty, forcing the character to only move in one direction? RIGHT when I was at a hard level, too.”_

“Don’t worry! I was steering us toward GUN’s base! They can help us fight them.”

“This sure brings back memories.” Danika said, pulling the two into her shadow. “Hold your breath, boys.”

She carried them out of the ship with a Shadow Glide, letting the saucer crash in the forest. Danika set them all on the ground several meters away from it. “Sigh… I couldn’t trouble you fellas for a ride later, could I?” Jack asked.

 _“LAFFY TAFFY!”_ A black head with a big, munching mouth and bat wings hopped up to Sandman, but he punched it away, and Danika sliced it with her daggers. Hundreds of Nightmares appeared to be crossing the forest. (Play “Alpine Skyline at Night” from _A Hat in Time_!)

“Where are they all heading?” Dani asked.

Nolan gasped. “The base!” The trio bolted through the forest, attacking any Nightmare in their path until they were in view of GUN H.Q.. Soldiers and robots were bravely fighting the invading monsters, but to their misfortune, Possessor Nightmares were taking over the robots. The Sandman’s attention was drawn to the two figures marching to the front entrance: a man dressed like a scarecrow and a pink cloud of gas.

Commander Gunkan was there to greet his visitors, darksabers drawn. “So, you’ve finally decided to show yourself.”

“Howdy, Brett! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Caesar said perkily. “Remember? When Vergo betrayed you? After he got Darian York killed? And I laughed JUST like THIS! SHURORORORORORO!”

“Gunkan… how kind of you to gather the Kids Next Door in your base.” Affright said. “Now, I can destroy them all!”

“I’ll NEVER let you hurt them!” Gunkan ran forth and swung his blades at the mastermind, but Affright blocked with Horror’s Hand and then thrusted the palm in Brett’s eyes. It flashed, and Brett was trapped in a nightmare. Alas, Affright was met with a surprise punch to the side of the head. He fell several feet away before recovering to see his attacker.

“Don’t count me out of the party.”

“Sandman… No, I was expecting you to show up just in time. It’s time for the Horrorverse to enter its next phase!”

“Danika, go inside and protect Dillon and the kids.” His wife nodded and used Veil to slide past them and into the base. “Jack, Brett, let’s finish this once and for all!”

Nolan ran up and swung punches at Affright, who countered with his superior left hand. The hand flashed and turned him into a flock of crows that flapped past Nolan and reformed. Jack latched his Soul Robber onto Horror’s Hand and tried to yank it off, but the hand sent a scream into the goo, blowing the flubber up like a balloon and popping it. Affright ran up and grabbed Sandman by the neck, forcing fear into his mind. Nolan tried to tug it off with the Chi-block Gauntlets, but to no avail. “The chi of Horror’s Hand cannot be blocked. I’m sure you must know what it is now.”

Gunkan applied Haki to his swords as he tried to strike Caesar, but the cocky clown floated just out of his reach. “Shurororo! Time for the fireworks!” The clown drew out a missile launcher and fired, but Brett swiftly dodged them. The missiles exploded into pink gas.

“Is that Bang Gas?!”

“SHURORO! What’s wrong, Brett?! Don’t wanna have a tree stump growing out of your back again? I know someone who would like a whiff!” Caesar fired the missiles closer to Sandman, and Affright chucked him into the cloud.

“NOLAN!” Gunkan ran to him, but quickly stopped. A vision of himself walked out of the gas, a mutated tree stump with a face growing on his back. Just the thought of going near that gas filled him with terror.

Jack Skellington jumped into the gas and came out with Nolan in his arms. “Your gas has no effect on me!”

“Cough! Hurk! ACK!” The Sandman clasped his head.

“Nolan, hang in there! Whatever damage he’s done, we can fix it!”

“And Brett, I think you may have misunderstood.” Affright said. “When I said ‘destroy the Kids Next Door,’ I didn’t mean physically. I meant _mentally_.” He raised Horror’s Hand and flashed its eye.

Inside the base, Danika was slithering around the prison wing in search of her son. Meanwhile, the fear-induced operatives were shaking more frantically than ever. “Sapphire, what’s happening?!” Ruby asked when this happened to Sector KB.

“This isn’t good, Ruby!”

Danika emerged beside them. “Hey, do you two know where Dillon is?”

“He was in his cell with Zach and Maddy until a while ago.” Sapphire replied. “I think he was-”

They jumped when the aforementioned cell blew open. Sensing an incredible power brimming within, Maddy Murphy stomped out of the cell, cloaked in Haki Fury. The Mad Conqueror faced the three with pure madness in her eyes.

Outside, Nolan came back to his senses and ran to attack Affright again, but the villain easily dodged his fists, spun around, and was suddenly holding Dillon by the neck. “You thought he was still inside? I have your son right here. Come one step closer, and I will end his-”

Nolan KICKED Affright through Dillon, sending the former flying back as Dillon disappeared. “I can see through your tricks, Fright.”

“Can you really? Or is it thanks to the power now inside you?”

“Look, Nolan!” Revan was dangling the Chi-block Gloves in his fingers. “I swiped these off you! Just kidding, we both know you threw them off yourself.”

“Yes, Nolan… I know he is there. Revan Bane Sidious.” Affright spoke. “Not just in your fears… his essence is literally inside of you. And you have him to thank for it.”

“Shurorororo!” Nolan looked up at Caesar. “Aww, you’re too kind, Affy.”

Nolan used the Poltergust to suck Caesar down and grab him by the neck in his Haki hand. _“What did you DO TO ME?!”_

“It was three years ago.” Caesar grinned wickedly. “Revan Bane came to me in his Inferius form. He brought me his corpse, and gave me a very special request. A request… to convert his brain into a Devil Fruit!”

“A… Devil Fruit?”

“SHURORO! YES! A Devil Fruit that would not only gift one with psychicbending, but would cause one’s mind to completely morph into Revan’s! That’s right, Nolan… Jack Spicer shrunk himself with the fruit, snuck into your house while you slept, and tossed the delicacy right into your snoring mouth. You are the proud host of my Revan-Revan FRUIT!!”

Nolan violently punched him in the face. “The cure. NOW!”

“Are you serious? Well, okay.” Caesar grabbed a syringe of liquid Bang Gas and injected Nolan in the neck.

“AAAH!” Nolan pulled away and yanked it out, his head overcome with pain.

“NOLAN!” Brett desperately ran to his aid with his own syringe in hand. “Don’t worry! I have antidote right-”

Nolan sent him several meters away with a single punch, the antidote hitting the ground and breaking. Gunkan recovered and watched as Nolan threw off his hat and crushed his mask in his hand. His mismatched eyes glared at Gunkan like a predator in the night, his teeth stretched wider than ever. “Miss me… Brett?!”

“N-No…” Brett fearfully got to his feet. “It can’t be you…”

Revolan conjured a Psycho Sphere and tossed it, Brett knocking it away with his darksaber. Revolan grabbed debris from fallen robots and hurled them at his foe as Brett ran toward him and cut through them. Revolan formed a bubble shield, but Brett cut through with Haki, and he tried to swing at Nolan when he grabbed the sabers in his own Haki hands. “It’s you, isn’t it?! REVAN!”

“So, you REMEMBER ME!” Revolan kicked him back. Before he could retaliate, Brett’s neck was taken by a psychic grip.

Inside, Angie McKenzie tried to restrain her son with stone arms, but Anthony punched his mother in the face and broke free. When Eva tried to restrain her daughter in water arms, Melody used bloodbending to bend her mother’s arms behind her back, then bend her back. Luvbi blasted Melody down the hall with an air gust, but she was quickly attacked by her daughter.

“Hang on, why isn’t the rest of Sector V here?!” Matthew Dimalanta questioned.

“Never mind that, we have to catch them!” Danika shouted.

Outside, Revolan had risen Gunkan to the sky by the neck. “You always were jealous of me, admit it! I was the greatest bender in the KND and you were nothing!”

 _“Nolan… please… don’t do this… ack…”_ Brett gasped.

“Nolan is DEAD! It’s just Revan now, and you better accept that!” Revan forced Brett to drop his swords and grab the gun from his pocket. Despite Gunkan’s attempts to resist, he aimed the gun at his own neck.

“Stop!” Jack ran to Nolan, but Caesar fired another Bang Missile, which curved and hit Jack in the chest, carrying him across the distance.

“You didn’t stay by my side!” Revolan continued. “You hated me, just like all the others! You were glad when I died, but how about NOW, HUH?! Do you finally understand that you can NEVER get rid of me?!”

_“You… betrayed us… Revan… You were our friend… we would have stood by you… but you chose not to stand by us. But I… enjoyed every moment we had together. I wish we could’ve had more adventures together. And I’m sorry… if we made you feel like you didn’t belong…”_

Revolan had nothing to say… and tears leaked from his eyes. Affright glared, aimed Horror’s Hand, and unleashed a brief, _**“AAAH!”**_ The scream startled Revolan, who flexed his fingers, and the psychic grip caused Gunkan to pull the trigger of his gun. (End song.)

The Kids Next Door had come stampeding outside, the parents still desperately trying to control their rampaging kids. Danika gasped for breath as she made it outside, having to stop. She looked up and nearly lost her breath: Brett Gunkan was suspended in the air, his arms hanging limp as the gun dropped to the ground. It seemed like Nolan’s hand was positioned as though he were holding him.

But that grip immediately ceased when it sank in. Gunkan’s dead body dropped and landed like a ragdoll. “SHUUUUUROROROROOOO!” Caesar circled around the air like an open balloon. “YOU DID IT! You actually did it! At last, DARTH GENIOUS IS REBORN! AAAAH HA HA HA HA!”

“Nolan…” Danika ran to her husband.

“We’ve accomplished what we needed to.” Affright said as winged Nightmares swooped down to carry the operatives. “It’s time to leave.” He raised Horror’s Hand as a giant demon bat grabbed him in its talons.

“But what about Revan?!” Caesar asked, flying after him.

“If he’s truly awakened, he’ll join us before long. It’s time to show the world what the Kids Next Door really are. Starting in Cleveland, Virginia!”

Nolan stared at his hand. He could not believe what just happened… he mentally told himself it was just a vision… but the evidence lay dead before him. Gunkan was dead… and the murderer was… “Nolan… what happened…?”

“…I killed him…”

“You… W-Was that… psychicbending?”

“Nolan?” Matthew heard. “A psychicbender?”

“And he… killed…” Eva couldn’t understand.

“…Danika… where’s Dillon?”

“He…He wasn’t in there…”

“…I’ve failed.” Nolan turned toward the base, his shoulders drooped. “I’ve failed my son… I’ve failed everyone…”

Vanellope jumped out of his watch. “Dad, it wasn’t your fault! He was controlling you!”

“No, Vanellope. I…I’m done now. I couldn’t defeat him… and I couldn’t control myself. The rest is up to you.” He continued walking.

“Nolan, where are you going?” asked Dani, heartbroken.

“I’m locking myself away, so I won’t be able to hurt anyone else. Face it, Danika. I’m nobody’s hero. …Not anymore…”

No one said anything or attempted to stop him. Nolan entered the base and didn’t look back. “…Sigh, there’s nothing we can do.” Matthew said. “We have to go after Affright. He’s going to Cleveland.”

“He is right. Let us make haste.” Luvbi agreed.

Danika looked in Nolan’s direction once more. She sighed, choosing to leave him to himself. “He just needs a moment…”

**Cleveland, Virginia**

Two hours had passed, and chaos spread to all corners of the city. Chris Uno was blasting Combustion Beams at buildings with no clear direction, and Sheila Frantic was squashing GUN tanks with giant Sun Fists. Anthony was sinking buildings with earthbending and Wendy and Fybi were destroying houses with tornadoes. “Do you see now, people of the world, the true nature of your valiant heroes?!” Affright announced from a dark stage. “These heroes have saved your worlds! And now, they will be your conquerors! Your only chance to survive is to fight them! Benders and metahumans were once prosecuted for their powers! We must revive that ancient tradition, lest you all be reduced to rubble!”

 _“SHUT THAT BROKEN MOUTH OF YOURS, you ugly crow!”_ a woman’s voice echoed in the distance. Affright turned with pure astonishment to see a fleet of walking pirate ships. Emperor Mandy stood on the keel of the flagship.

“A-A-Affright! It’s Pirate Emperor Mandy!” Caesar stuttered. “What’s she doing here?!”

Mandy jumped onto the street and approached the mastermind. “I’m getting sick of hearing your little poetry spiels! The eternal night you made is ruining my sleep schedule! I tolerated your little dominion this long, but here is where I draw the line. The only Emperor of Fear is ME!” She unleashed a deafening scream, but Affright countered with a beam from Horror’s Hand.

The villain became crows and reformed behind her, swinging a punch that she blocked with her sword. She looked him in the eye with a Scare Stare, but the face of the shadowy imp came out of his and stared back. Mandy flinched, and Affright succeeded in knocking her to the ground. “You know, Your Highness… I’m actually feeling really confident around you. Now, that’s unusual. Why, I’m so confident that I feel like singing.”

“Oh, gee.” Mandy sighed. The music played, and Affright began.

_“It’s true, I haven’t always been this fab’… I was a joyless little boy once.”_

The Boogey Pirates exchanged confused glances. _“Now I know I’m as proud as a crab… because I’m **TERRIFYING**!”_ The image of Malladus sprouted from his form, the demons ducking in fear. _“Did your parents say, ‘There’s nothing in the closet! It’s all in your mind’?”_ Mandy got up, sword drawn. _“Sorry, but I have to make my own deposit: YOUR PARENTS LIED! What’s in there was SCARY!”_

Mandy cast a storm of Fear Spheres from her body, but Affright swiftly dodged them all in his dance. _“Like a demon straight from the bowels of Heck! What a wreck, seeing something so SCARY! I will choke you like a rope around a neck!”_ He grabbed Mandy’s neck. _“Just a sec! Don’t you know?”_ He spun around with her in hand. _“Kids are DUMB, DUMB, DUMB, believing everything we TELL THEM!”_ He tossed her away. _“The hell ’them. …Now, here they come, come, come,”_ The operatives were lured in by the glow of his hand, _“to the one thing that will sell them! And kill them!”_

Affright grabbed Aurora Uno by the neck. _“Watch as I FREEEEZE YOU!”_ Her body turned pale and stiff. _“Now I’m going to SQUEEEEZE YOU!”_

“ENOUGH!” Mandy cut his hand with her sword and freed Aurora. “Your battle is with me! Unless you don’t have the guts for it!”

“Hm hm hm… You talk a big game… but I can see how small you really are.” Affright raised Horror’s Hand and drew in the life force of some surrounding Nightmares. His body glowed red as he grew twenty stories high, donning a torn cape that resembled the Grim Reaper, and the deepest wrinkles of his decrepit skin brimmed an eerie yellow. From his view, Mandy and all her loyal demons were insignificant. He could feel the slightest bit of worry in her heart.

 _“Well, well, well… Lord Mandy’s having trouble with her look.”_ Mandy backed away as the giant marched toward her. _“How quite absurd for an Emperor.”_ Mandy growled and fired giant Fear Spheres that Affright smacked away. _“Oh, what a terrible performance, need a hand?”_ Affright pinned her down with a finger. _“Get it? You don’t SCARE ME like you used to, man!”_ And he flicked her away with the other finger.

Mandy turned into her Fury Form, growing to Affright’s size as she clashed her sword against his gauntlet. _“Yet, I have to give you credit for your style… the terror in your eyes!”_ The hand’s eye flashed, blinding Mandy briefly as Affright punched her back. _“But next to me, there’s really no denial.”_ Affright pulled her up by the hands. _“You cannot HIDE! …From me, I’m too SCARY!”_

Affright danced with Mandy, who was unable to break free. _“Like a Boogeyman awaiting a tasty meal. What’s the deal? My deal is I’m SCARY!”_ He hurled Mandy across the town, crushing several GUN tanks. _“Send your armies, but they NEVER will prevail! They will fail! Mandy, man.”_ Affright grabbed her by the legs and swung her around. _“You can try, try, try! But you can’t expect a Yonko… to beat a scarecrow!”_ He slammed her headfirst into a building, and she fell to the ground. _“Now, you will die, die, die!”_ He stomped her face. _“As it’s time for me to tear apart… your aching heart!”_

Mandy shrunk down to her normal size and form. Affright’s body turned black, but his eyes and mouth brimmed red. The eye of Horror’s Hand shone on Mandy as it displayed an illusion: her parents angrily kicked her young self out of the house, and the kids of Endsville booed at her.

 _“FAR from the ones who abandoned you, seeking,”_ he picked Mandy up and held her for all the Boogey Pirates to see, _“the LOVE of these demons, who MADE you their captain! You TRIED to be FEARED… but I’m afraid you just aren’t scary, dear! MANDYYYYY!”_ Affright threw her in the air. _“Have another taste of my HANDYYYY!”_ He smacked her across the town. _“You’re not SCARY! Soak it in ’cause it’s the last you’ll ever see.”_ He marched up to her again. _“C’est la vie mon ami, I’m so SCARY! Now I’ll kill you, so prepare your final plea! Just for me…”_

Affright grabbed Mandy in Horror’s Hand and began to drain her. _“You never were that scary… You wish you were nice and… SCAAAAARYYYYYYY!”_

A Gas Bomb came flying and struck his arm, forcing Affright to release Mandy. Affright realized the culprit was Matthew Dimalanta, and with him were Eva, Luvbi, Angie, and Danika York. “Sigh… why do they never give in?”

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Nolan had locked himself in a cell, giving himself peace and solitude. But no amount of contemplating would erase what he had done. Everything he’s done tonight was all for nothing. The villains escaped from their cells… Affright was controlling the Kids Next Door, destroying everything in their name… and what was the Sandman? He saved nobody. He was nobody’s hero. (Play “Sleeping Beauty” from _Sleeping Beauty_.)

A distant, gentle singing echoed in his ears. Looking up, the cell had turned dark, and a passage opened in the back. Nolan stood and slowly walked down the passage. To his right was the chorus, composed of Brotherhood villains. To his left, his young self stood upon a balcony, lifting Revan skyward and throwing him over. And as Nolan walked, he felt himself devolving into his youth. The only thing that ruined the illusion was the missing wheelchair.

Nolan approached a beauty in a blue dress, alone in the middle of the vast ballroom. The beauty discarded the dress and turned, Revan’s normal clothes underneath. With a stoic expression, Nolan took Revan in his arms and danced. “Do you finally understand, Nolan? The world doesn’t need heroes, anymore. EVIL is the way to go now!”

Nolan said nothing, keeping his eyes down. “Look, Nolan, it won’t be so bad, I promise. When we get out, I’ll treat you like you own the world. It will be beautiful. No more pain, no more sadness, no more fear…”

Nolan said nothing still. Revan furrowed his eyes and SMACKED him. “I am SICK of you IGNORING ME! ! I did all this for YOU! I came back as a zombie, dug up my corpse, and had Caesar convert it into a fruit all so we could be together! So, the two of us could reclaim what we deserve! I did so much for you, and you won’t even give me a smile!”

“… … Brett is dead.”

“Yes, we established that.”

“…I killed him.”

“Technically, I did. You know, out of spite. But sure, take the blame.”

“…I killed Brett.”

“Yes, you killed Brett. You also killed me, why don’t you mope about that?”

“…Brett is dead, because of me.”

“Ugh, YES! Brett is dead! Saying it a million times isn’t gonna bring him back!”

“…Brett is dead… I feel so terrible…”

“I, GET IT! Brett is GONE, and he’s NOT coming back! You killed him! There’s no denying it! You’re a terrible person! S-So…So… SNIFF.” Revan’s eyes began to water. “Why is this HAPPENING to meeee?!”

“Because Brett was your friend. He was my friend. And we killed him. We should be ashamed.”

“Sniff, b-but I don’t feel ashamed at all! I hated him! I wanted to kill him! So, why am I feeling this way?!”

“I may have your brain, Revan… but we have my heart. No matter how many people you kill, your feelings will betray you. You’ll feel so guilty that you won’t be able to do it. And deep down… you know what you’re doing is wrong.”

Revan’s tears were streaming like a waterfall. “I don’t need you t-to tell me how I feel! What do you know about me?!”

“Revan… you’re more than just a hallucination. You’re the darkness in my heart. And all darkness has light. You’ve always been a part of me, Revan. That’s why, when I feel guilty, you feel guilty.”

“Sniff . . . sniff . . . WAAAAAAAAH!” Revan had never felt these many emotions before. “Sniff, sniff, I killed Brett! Brett was my friend, and I killed him! What kind of person am I?!”

“We’re just a couple of worn-out old men.” Nolan smiled and hugged him. “Trying too hard to keep up with our kids. But our time in the spotlight is done, Revan. We tried too hard, and we ruined everything. It’s over for us.”

 _BOOM!_ They jumped at the sound of an explosion. Exchanging glances, the two rushed down the corridor, Nolan growing back into his adult self. When he returned to his cell, it had been opened. He was aghast at seeing the group of people who had come to see him.

Jack Skellington was the first to approach. “We’ve all been overcome by fear at some point, Nolan.”

“We’ve all made decisions that we regret.” Nagisa followed.

“But you can’t forget you have friends to help you.” Misaka said.

“And we’ll stick by you, no matter what!” Crystal declared.

“But you must admit, this is one _hell_ of a rescue.” Sebastian said charmingly.

The five comrades that fought beside Nolan throughout the night were all together. Seeing them all like this filled him with a new sense of hope. …But they were not alone. Carol Masterson and Midna walked in behind them, and with them was… “So, Dad, you up for one last hurrah?” asked Dillon.

 

**Gameverse 101: All the partners always assemble for the Final Battle! You might recognize that “Scary” song as a remix of “Shiny” from _Moana_.**


	13. When Fear Is Irrelevant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandman and co. head to Cleveland to battle Affright's forces!

**Cut to after Nolan explains to them!**

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Chapter 13: When Fear Is Irrelevant

_**

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**G.U.N. H.Q.**

_“WHAAAAAAT?!”_ All of them shared the same reaction, except for Sebastian.

“A Devil Fruit… that makes you act like Revan?!” Carol repeated.

“It’s true. And it seems like one of Affright’s plans throughout the night was to force Revan’s half to take over.”

“It all makes sense.” Misaka realized. “What you were saying about your other personality.”

“Yes. But back then, I wasn’t sure what was going on. I even went to Haruka one time to have myself checked. But Revan’s half kicked in and attacked her.”

“Because he was afraid she could heal you.” Dillon deduced.

“But even Haruka’s powers can’t heal metahumanism.” Carol inferred.

“Why take a chance?” Nolan figured. “Speaking of healing, it seems you’ve made a quick recovery, Dillon. Midna, did you do something?”

“It wasn’t her, Dad.” Dillon said with a grin. “I had help from a friend. Wanna introduce yourself?”

A girl with brown hair and tired red eyes shyly peeked into the hall. She came in with squeaky red shoes. “…Madotsuki…” Nolan recognized her. She was a girl that had undergone terrible experiences at a young age. Her memory was recently wiped clean, and as her friends tried to help her remember who she is, she was adopted by a kind family in her hometown in Japan.

“She appeared inside my nightmare and used her Bubble Dreaming powers to help me.” Dillon explained. “Then I asked Midna to take me to Japan and find her, so we could fix the others. We also picked up Carol on the way.”

“Carol also informed my young master of the situation.” Sebastian followed. “It was his idea to retrieve all the allies you told me about.”

“Of course…” Nolan wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before. “You have the Gem of Dreams.”

Madotsuki reached in her backpack and retrieved the green gem. Nolan had once been the owner of that gem, but he thought it would be better off in Madotsuki’s hands. “This used to belong to you… right?” she asked.

“She’s slowly starting to recover her memories.” Jack explained. “She must have found the door to Dillon’s dreamscape inside her own. Bubble Dreamers can normally access the dreams of people they’re close to, and since she was close to you, Nolan, she was able to find Dillon’s dream, too.”

“Hmm… I’m really glad I met you, Madotsuki.” Nolan smiled. “You probably never wanted to get involved with us again… but I need you to do something.”

Nolan led them to Haruka’s medical room. “I need you to enter Haruka’s mind and try to bring her back. We need her to heal all the other KND operatives. It’ll be too difficult for you to help them all like you did Dillon, and I’m not sure if defeating Affright will do it either. But I have to warn you… Haruka’s been through a traumatic experience recently. If you go inside her mind, you may find some… triggering images.”

“I’ll do it, York-san. …If she’s your friend, I’ll help her.”

“Okay. Just be careful.”

Madotsuki raised the Gem of Dreams and converted her body into spiritual sand, which swirled into Haruka’s mind. “Now begins the hard part: actually defeating Affright.” Carol said.

“Heh. You leave that to me.” Dillon smirked, reaching a hand to, “Midna: hit me with some Firstborn power and I’ll get started.”

“Can’t do it.”

“Ha ha ha, sure you can. You powered me up when we fought Madara.”

“That was before I helped restore the universe and sacrificed all my God Chi to do so.”

“Ha ha ha… eh… YOU DIDN’T TELL US THAT BEFORE?!” Dillon grabbed and shook the princess.

“I never had a reason to bring it up! You’re lucky I still have my teleporting powers.”

“Midna, if you can’t do anything else, then you can stay and watch Haruka, bring her to us once she’s ready. I think I have another way we can stop Affright… but it’s a long shot if it will work.” Nolan grabbed a bottle from his trenchcoat. The group looked closer and observed the blobby gray thing inside it.

“Is that… the Nightmare King?!” Carol asked, baffled.

“My word! He’s so afraid that he’s gone pale!” Jack exclaimed.

“Horror’s Hand contains Darkrai’s older brother. He needs to face his fear and make up for what his father did to him.” Nolan stated. “If he succeeds, Horror’s Hand might be at ease and stop obeying Affright. But like I said, it’s a long shot…”

“In other words, we may need to rely on Haruka to heal the KND and let them handle it. Maybe…” Crystal said worriedly.

“What about this Revan person?” Misaka asked. “What if he takes over Mr. York’s mind again?”

“Don’t worry. I think Revan’s a little tuckered out.” Nolan looked over at a sulking Revan a few feet away. “Still… I can’t change what I did. The least I can do is help defeat Affright. Afterwards, I’m locking myself away.”

“But it wasn’t your fault, Dad.” Dillon said.

“It was. I tried to keep my condition a secret because I didn’t want anyone to worry. But maybe I should have…”

“It always was like you to hide things from us, Nolan.” Crystal shook her head.

“Regardless, we know what needs to be done.” Sebastian said. “My master is growing impatient, as are the others. Let us hurry to Cleveland and thwart Affright posthaste!”

**Cleveland, Virginia**

The large group flew to Cleveland on Ciel’s S.U.P.E.R.-C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. They landed on the street at the entrance to town, seeing operatives rampaging left and right. Aurora Uno used her icebending to freeze a restaurant, and Chris Uno was about to destroy it with a Combustion Beam, but Accelerator was teleported in his way as he used vectorbending to redirect Chris’s beam straight up into the sky. “You gotta tell me the secret recipe for that Formula Q, old man.”

The Uno siblings set their sights on them, but they were shot by pink bullets that stunned their senses and knocked them down. “What kind of bullets are these, is what I’m wondering?” Mey-Rin asked, pinching one in her fingers. “These couldn’t kill a fly, couldn’t kill a fly is what they couldn’t do!”

“Those are Antikill bullets.” Nagisa answered. “They’re designed to knock people out without leaving a wound.”

“NYAAARR!” A young nun jumped out and BIT Nagisa in the shoulder.

“AAAAH! INDEX!” Nagisa desperately shoved his friend off, her teeth soaked in his blood. “OUCH!” Something bit him in the leg. “Goombella!”

Ciel and Sebastian yanked the two off, punching them unconscious. “Do everything you can to restrain them or knock them out!” Nolan ordered. “Jack, let’s find Affright!”

“Right behind you, Nolan!” The two hurried into the city.

Fybi Fulbright blasted them with arrows from above, the group dodging as Kuroko teleported above her and dropped down, smashing the angel to the ground. Fybi blasted her off with a wind pulse, then spun a wide cyclone around herself to blow the others back. Finnian jumped through the wind and punched Fybi, stopping her wind as Nagisa Shaved up to cut her with the Antikill knife and knock her out.

“See, no big deal! We’ll have them all sorted out in no time!” Nagisa said confidently.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that!” came the familiar snide voice of The Riddler. The puzzle-loving villain was hovering above in a green pod, a question mark antenna on the bottom. “All these kids need is a wake-up call!” He pushed a button that sent out a faint soundwave.

The fallen operatives woke back up, still under Affright’s control as they attacked the heroes. Misaka shot lightning up at him, but it bounced off a green bubble shield, Misaka jumping back before it struck her. Kuroko tried to teleport her pins into his pod, but she was unable to. “He has chi-blocks in that pod!”

“What a dirty cheater!” Carol shouted.

“He ain’t the only one, kids!” The group about-faced to find Caesar Clown. “I thought I’d introduce you to some old subjects of mine! Behold, Punk Hazard’s Giant Squad!” Beneath him were the members of Sector GT, along with Mocha. Dillon recognized those psychotic looks in their eyes, but hadn’t seen them since Punk Hazard.

 _“RAAAAAH!”_ The giants charged forth with fury. Sebastian leapt and KICKED Sind away with his mighty leg, but the butler was sent flying by Mocha’s superior punch. Misaka zapped Mocha with lightning, but April Goldenweek snuck up behind her and painted a pink spot to weaken her. “Errr… what is…”

“SISSY!” Kuroko kicked April away and quickly wiped the paint off. They jumped back before Konbu could fall on them.

Carol saw Riddler making a getaway and called, “Get back here, you jerk!”

Riddler looked back. “Oh, it’s Sandman’s little helper. Have recent events persuaded you to seek a new employer?”

“As if! You’ve been wasting our time all night, so someone has to teach you a lesson!”

“If that’s what you wish!” Riddler stopped fleeing and faced her. “But you’re a hundred years too early to be challenging ME!” He burned a laser along the ground, easy for Carol to dodge as Vanellope jumped out of her computer and glitched up to his pod. She dealt rapid glitch-kicks to his barrier, but was unable to penetrate it. She fell down and glitched back up in attempt to hack the shield, but her body glitched and she fell again.

“Mwah ha ha ha! A broken Program is no match for my Nigma Bubble! Riddlerbots, destroy her!” A squad of robots marched up and drew guns.

“Call ME a broken Program and you’ll regret it.” Vanellope glared. She swiftly dodged the robots’ bullets and zipped around to kick them down. “Say, I wonder if I can…” Vanellope glitched into one of the robots. Inside of its cyberspace, she was staring up at a green sky where ?’s were raining down from a giant Nigma face. Vanellope glitched her way up the ?’s, avoiding the red ones that would electrocute her. She was able to make it and glitch into Riddler’s mouth, reappearing inside his pod.

“What?!” Vanellope dealt quick kicks to the Enigma. Riddler managed to grab a Taser and zap Vanel, making his craft do a barrel-roll and shake her out. “You little cheat! Switching to a different channel!” The Riddlerbots switched out their guns for shock rods. They kept sharp eyes on Vanellope and whipped the rods at her whenever she tried to attack.

“You could use a little help.” Carol said, aiming her laptop at one of their heads. She was able to hack its code and command it to attack its comrades.

“Impossible! Those robots should only obey ME! They’re programmed with a religion that idolizes me as their god!”

“Here’s what I think of their god!” Vanellope glitched into one of the weakened robots and jumped up another storm of ?’s. The red ?’s came in greater numbers, but she still managed to avoid them and reach Nigma’s head. She surprised him again in his pod and gave him a well-deserved kicking. Riddler whirled the pod around one way, then around the other way, but Vanellope was too stubborn to leave.

“That’s it! You asked for it!” Riddler got his Taser and shoved it into Vanellope’s face. Her body glitched worse and worse until she finally faded from existence. “There’s nothing worse in a game than a glitch. Glitches that break the game, glitches that cheat the game, they’re all annoying! I curse the developers that fail to catch their mistakes!”

 _“You know what they say about flaws!”_ Riddler’s pod began to shake uncontrollably. Vanellope’s vibrant face displayed on the small screen. _“Having flaws means you’re functioning perfectly!”_

“That philosophy only applies to humans! And even then, it’s malarkey! GET OUT OF MY RIDDLE POD!” Riddler frantically typed a code. “Activating Virus Seekers! Your days are numbered, Glitch!”

The pod was hanging lower to the ground, and Carol decided to jump up and grab its rear antenna. Realizing the barrier was no longer in effect, she mustered her strength to climb the back of the pod. She made it on top while Riddler was still fighting with his controls. Carol leapt high, raised her laptop, and BASHED it over Riddler’s head. The Enigma was knocked out and the pod crashed on the ground. Carol quickly hopped out, opened the laptop, and connected it with the pod. “Vanellope, in here!”

The Program leapt in and allowed a Game-and-Watch to destroy her, so her virus could possess its body. Vanellope hopped out and enjoyed her victory with Carol. “YEAH!!” the duo high-fived.

“As you can see, Masterson Computers are highly durable!” She spoke to the readers, talking like a commercial host. “Even if you hit them over an iron-hard ego!”

**Dream Realm**

Madotsuki appeared in Haruka’s dreamscape, which was called Office Lolita. One would expect a Gothic Lolita-themed doctor’s office, but unfortunately, the office was in a sad state of affairs. Mado was staring up at a red sky, blotted by a terrifying giant with a mummified face. _“Hehehehehehehe! Yes, my pretty… Papa Kelvin will make you nice and new. He will drink your soul… wash your cup… and refill you with new substance… and then drink you again…”_

With his giant fingers, he was undressing Haruka, lightly squeezing her, and putting her in new dresses before nudging his hideous cheek on her fragile form. _“Ehhhh?”_ He noticed Madotsuki _“Why, it’s another little dolly. Would you like Kelvin to fix you, too?”_ He reached his hand to the little Bubble Dreamer.

Horrible images flashed in Mado’s mind of a pair of hands and a knife. She ran as fast as she could from the pursuing hand, but it was closing in, and soon it would have her. Kelvin grinned as his fingers closed over the pretty girl, but when he reopened his hand, she was gone. _“EH?!”_

He looked to his right as Madotsuki reappeared on a platform. The girl was confused as to how this happened, until she found a floating hat and scarf beside her. “Mafurako…”

 _“Madotsuki. Can you hear me?”_ a voice spoke in her mind. _“It’s me, Masada. Although you don’t remember, you’ve already come to peace with your past. The feelings you felt that day are etched into your heart. Recall those pleasant feelings and let them fight for you.”_

Kelvin reached for Madotsuki once more. The girl closed her eyes and opened her shirt window. _“BOOGEEEEEEYYY!”_ Jar Jar Blinks burst out of the window and kicked Kelvin in the face, dressed like a superhero. “Binkey’s here to save de milkies!”

Madotsuki drew a knife and sliced Kelvin’s hand clean off. However, the act of doing so made the same vision flash in her mind. Kelvin snatched Jar Jar in his left hand and squeezed the Dream Gungan. _“You disrespectful young lady!”_ Kelvin raised the fist above Mado and brought it down—

Mado switched to her Stoplight form and froze Kelvin in time. She moved out of the way and donned her Yuki-onna outfit, causing a blizzard. _“Eh? Snow? Boo-o-o-o-o… It’s s-so cold… w-what if I get chapped lips?”_ He worriedly felt his lips.

Madotsuki seized the chance to get on her bike, hop down to Haruka, and grab the girl before making a getaway. _“NO! COME BACK WITH MY DOLLY!”_ Kelvin crawled after them on one hand. Madotsuki pedaled as fast as she could, but they were snatched in Kelvin’s hand. _“You are a very nasty girl… and I despise those scarlet eyes of yours—wait a moment.”_

“October Foolsies!” said Jar Jar, wearing a Mado wig.

 _“Then…Then who…”_ Behind Kelvin, Madotsuki had blown up a massive Sleep Bubble. Mafurako, Monoko, and Monoe combined their strength to push the bubble, Mado bravely riding it as it bowled over Baron Kelvin. The baron could hardly let out a scream as the bubble engulfed him. _“Yaaaawn… My dollies… come to bed with me… please…”_ Drifting into slumber, Kelvin ascended into the heavens, taking his place among the stars.

**G.U.N. H.Q.**

Midna watched as Madotsuki materialized from Haruka’s mind. “You’re back! Did you save her?”

“Mmm…oh…” Haruka stirred in her sleep and sat up on her bed at long last. “Ma…Madotsuki.”

“Are you okay, Haruka-chan?”

“I think… What’s been happening?”

Midna took a moment to get Haruka up to speed. “So, that’s why… hu-!” Haruka flinched, the image of Kelvin flashing in her mind.

“Haruka?” Midna said with concern.

“I…I’m fine.” She got out of bed. “I can’t just lay around in bed all day. My friends need me. It’s time to make up for lost time!” She grabbed an empty syringe and used it to draw out her blood.

She headed to a base laboratory and made use of her poisonbending and the available equipment. She grabbed a vial of blue liquid and asked the doctor, “How quickly can you have this reproduced?”

“We’re GUN, baby! Mass-producing things is what we do!”

**Cleveland, Virginia**

Crystal Wickens sprayed knock-out gas on Harvey Harper and Aranea. She gasped when Jinta came charging with his giant baseball bat. Crystal selected the Ground Quake setting of her staff, but instead of hitting the ground, she timed it and struck Jinta’s bat, sending a vibration through the weapon as Jinta dropped it. Crystal then whacked him in the head and knocked him down. Crystal heard firework whistles and looked up to see the colorful missiles gunning for her, coming from Kodama, but they were blasted out of the air by Baldroy.

Caesar loomed in the air, watching the Giant Squad in action. Ally tried to clap Sebastian in her hands, but the butler dodged in a blink before stomping her hands to the ground, then he dealt a spin kick to the girl’s head. Mocha was furiously trying to stomp Nagisa, who was using Paper Art to dodge her attacks, fearing any one could be fatal. “GRAAAH! Stop moving around!” Mocha shouted. “I’m sick of people kicking me around! Thinking I’m small and weak! I’ll crush you ALL if that’s what it takes!”

“Shuroro! This sure brings back memories.” Caesar wiped an imaginary tear. “When we’re through with everyone here, I’m turning all these operatives into vicious giants! And they’ll be the indestructible shields of the Brotherhood of Evil!”

An Armament arm burst out of a shadow and PUNCHED the clown upside the chin. Caesar angrily straightened his jaw out as Dillon emerged. “Not gonna happen, Clowny!”

“Oh, it’s you again! You were actually able to fight back the Fear Toxin, eh? And I see you learned Haki…”

“Well, I’m still kinda new at it. But I asked my dad if I could borrow some of his.” Nolan’s shadow stretched to Dillon’s side and nodded.

“Can’t even be bothered to beat me with your own skills, eh? Shows how much YOU’VE accomplished in three years! Getting rid of you will be easy.” Caesar took a breath and fired an Oxygen Beam, but Dillon sank into a Veil and avoided. He stretched up his arms and grabbed Caesar’s head before launching himself out and above the clown.

“Shadow SLINGSHOT!” Still holding him, Dillon launched back down and body-slammed Caesar, bringing him to the ground. “You know how to extend your poisonbending to oxygen, but I can extend my shadowbending to my body!” Dillon stretched his right arm several meters back and flung it toward Caesar, but he dodged the predictable attack and tried to slice the arm with a knife. Dillon gasped and quickly withdrew the arm, then sunk into a Veil.

Caesar drew his Bang Missile launcher, keeping his eye on the ground in anticipation for him. Dillon emerged- “Ah ah ah! Your Shadow Clone won’t fool me!” Caesar grinned. He sensed Dillon coming from behind and yelled, “SMILE!” blasting a missile, but it completely went through Dillon’s black mist body. “Hn?!”

“The clone was behind you, doofus!” The previous Dillon stretched and wrapped his arm around Caesar, swinging and slamming him all around the ground. Caesar dropped his missile launcher before emitting poison gas and forcing Dillon to release. The boy sent Mario to grab the launcher and fly high above one of the buildings, dropping it off. Caesar tried to chase him, but Dillon used his dad’s shadow to fly up and grab him.

Caesar punched Dillon and blew Poison Breath down to make him release, cackling as he resumed ascending. Sadly, as Mario was coming down, he grabbed Caesar’s shadow and brought him down again. Once he hit the ground, Dillon stretched his arm skyward and brought it down on his face. Caesar broke free and blasted an Oxygen Beam, Dillon dodging as he stretched his leg back and launched it toward his face. Caesar dodged, but was surprised when the leg whipped down into a Veil. Meanwhile, Dillon had been stretching his other leg in a Veil behind Caesar, and seized the chance to kick the clown in the back of the head.

Dillon followed this with a stretched punch to the face as his legs retracted. “Man, that move hurts my legs.” He quickly Veiled when Caesar spun around and fired Gas Bombs everywhere. He could tell no damage was done, but there was now too much gas for him to emerge safely.

“Now to get back my Bang Launcher.” With that, Caesar spewed an Oxygen Beam directly down and rocketed himself skyward. He reached the rooftop where his launcher was dropped. “There we are! Let’s see how that boy fairs with a little mutation.”

“Sorry, but that look doesn’t do it for me!” Caesar felt his body being wrapped by an invisible force. He looked to his shadow on the building and realized it was connected to a very long shadow stretching to the bottom. Unable to escape, the neck of the shadow was reeling up at a breakneck speed. “Shadow HEADBUTT!”

“D’OOOHH!” Dillon’s head made contact with Caesar’s and knocked the clown out. He dropped the launcher, and his own body began to fall. However, Dillon remained airborne, his limbs stretching down with Caesar. “Get ready! 3… 2… 1… SHADOW BLASTOFF!” He retracted the limbs with the same blinding speed, the wind brushing him as Caesar flew past and was gone into the sky.

Dillon made safe land on the ground, rubbing his sore areas. “Phew! Maybe I should lighten up with that…” he spoke dizzily. “It’s not like I’m made of rubber…”

By this time, Nolan and Jack were overlooking the defeated forms of Eva, Angie, Luvbi, and Matthew. Creeper was looking over a pale and half-conscious Mandy, while Danika was the only one still standing. She was panting and holding her wounded left arm as she glared at Affright. The villain tilted his head and sported a smirk. Danika turned, and masked her shock at seeing her husband. “Nolan… I-I thought…”

“Don’t worry, Dani. I just needed some time to think.” Nolan and Jack walked past her. “The world needs Sandman for one more night… but after this, it’s over.”

“…Hm…” Danika smiled. “That’s what you say, anyway.”

“Sandman… heh heh heh.” Affright chortled. “Somehow, I knew you would fight the effects of the Devil Fruit. But do you not see what I’ve done to your friends?”

“I think we need to have a talk.” stated Nolan.

“A talk, is it? Well, I guess I’ll be polite and listen.”

“Not you, Affright. I mean the spirit of Horror’s Hand.”

Affright was surprised for a moment. _“Let me ask you a question.”_ spoke the mysterious voice that belonged to the hand. The palm glowed and projected an illusion of the shadowy imp. _“What is my name?”_

“That’s a good question. Perhaps he’ll know.” Nolan withdrew Darkrai’s bottle, plucked it open, and poured him onto the ground. Darkrai came out like a gray goop, forming a puddle before slightly reforming into his half-normal self.

“Oooooooooogggg…”

_“So, my little brother… tell me… What is my name?”_

“P-P-Please… don’t hurt me, Brother…”

_“That’s exactly how he looked. My own father was scared of me. He was too scared to even give me a name. I was just a baby! I knew nothing of the world! I trusted him to guide me! BUT HE BETRAYED ME! Everyone was afraid of me! I try to reach out to them, but all they do is scream and run! …The only one who trusted me was Affright here. His faith in the Kids Next Door was shattered, just like my faith in my dad. …And you’re no different from him, Brother.”_

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” Jack approached him. “Uncle… I am truly sorry for my father’s rude behavior, and on behalf of my grandfather. I would love to welcome you to Nightmare Land and introduce you to tons of friends. But first, you have to stop serving Affright. You’ll never make friends if you continue to hurt people like this.”

_“Why shouldn’t I? After all, fear is what drives mortals. Hatred… Determination… Humor… It is all derived from fear. Just listen to them!”_

The creature projected images of all the operatives. _“DANNY! Danny, hold on! I’ll save you! DANNY!”_ cried Melody Jackson.

 _“Watch out! It’s One-Touch Maddy!”_ Kids were running in fear of Maddy Murphy. _“She’s so strong that just touching her will cripple us!”_

 _“PLEASE! Not more Butt Cream!”_ Zach was running from a trio of sumos. _“I don’t wanna be a Super Sumo! Yours is of the lowest forms of comedy!”_

 _“I will be strong again!”_ Cheren vowed. _“Even if I have to beat up everyone around me!”_

“This is wrong!” Jack yelled. “It’s true that people make decisions and even follow ambitions based on fear, but they don’t become stronger by living in fear. They learn to overcome their fear! But you’re denying them that privilege! You’re scrambling their brains so terribly that they can’t even comprehend fear! All they understand is madness.”

 _“Then tell me, Skellington… have you faced your fear?”_ Affright aimed the hand and flashed it at Jack.

The skeleton was shown a vision of Halloween Town burning before his eye sockets. _“We’re not afraid of anything! We’re not afraid of anything!”_ Kids were singing happily, dancing circles around the dying town. All of the monsters were becoming dust, doomed to be forgotten as Halloween faded into history.

“No! My Halloween! My friends! Sally! It can’t end this way! Please, stop this!” Jack grabbed and shook his head.

_“As I thought! No matter how brave a being appears to be, no matter how powerful, fear will always get the best of them! As long as people are afraid, I’m invincible!”_

“I know how to fix THAT!” Nolan rushed forth and threw a hardened punch at Affright’s face, but he caught the fist in Horror’s Hand and imbued him with fear. “AGH!” Whiteness engulfed him as an illusion of Dillon appeared.

_“I can’t believe I looked up to you. You tried so hard to be a hero that you forgot you had a son.”_

Nolan swung his left fist and dealt an uppercut on Affright, the villain flying back. He bounced upright and flashed the hand, returning the whiteness as Danika appeared in it.

_“Why couldn’t you just drop the act, Nolan? I had to pay the bills while you act like you’re still an operative.”_

Nolan engaged Affright in a fist fight, but it shortly ended when the villain grabbed his face in Horror’s Hand. Nolan stared directly into the eye.

 _“I can’t believe you got me mixed up in your crap.”_ Yuki Crystal said. _“I’m dead because of you!”_

 _“This vigilante stuff was a waste of my time! I wish I never met you!”_ Wiccan shouted.

 _“You said you would save all my sisters!”_ Misaka shouted.

 _“Old men don’t belong out here!”_ Vanellope yelled.

 _“How could you strangle me like that?!”_ Haruka cried.

 _“You’re so useless, you needed ME to help you!”_ Carol shouted.

_“Stupid dad!”_

_“Lousy husband!”_

_“You killed me, just like you killed Dillon!”_

_“Get in a coffin and DIE, you old man!”_

_“Alright, THAT’S ENOUGH out of you ungrateful brats! Have you no respect for your elders?!”_

“That voice…” Nolan looked up. “Dodds?…”

 _“It’s okay, Nolan…”_ The original Sandman appeared from the whiteness as a shadow. _“You don’t have to be afraid, anymore.”_

 _“You’ve done more than we ever could have asked…”_ A woman’s voice spoke. Nolan recognized her silhouette, alongside a man’s. _“It is time for you to be with us again. It is time to come to the light…”_

“I can’t! They still need me! I can’t go… not, yet…”

“Stubborn as always, aren’t you, Nolan?” Dillon Simmons approached him from behind. “I always liked that about you… but don’t you think you’re getting a bit old for this?”

“Not really.” Brett Gunkan followed. “I think he still has a bit of fight in him. What do you think?”

“I think he’ll do just fine…” Nolan was met with the spirit of Anakin Skywalker. “Hey, Nolan. Long time, no see.”

“Anakin?”

“You know, we Jedi have a saying: ‘Strike us down, and we’ll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.’ The Jedi believe that spirits are manifestations of the Force, left behind by those we were close to. When friends and family die, their spirit is always around to protect us. Their presence makes us stronger. This is meant figuratively, of course… but it can also be translated in the literal sense. If you open your mind, the spirits of your friends can gather together and unlock the full potential of your psychicbending.”

“But this surplus of power will no doubt cost you your life.” Dodds said. “But it may be the only way to stop Affright. In death, we have nothing to fear, Nolan. If you are truly willing to die, then fear will mean nothing to you. Even the power of Horror’s Hand will be powerless to a man committed. Knowing that… will you still do it?”

“I’ll need more than just you all. I’ll also need you… Revan.”

“WHAT?” The boy looked up from sulking. “NO WAY! I was the Emperor of Evil, the king of supervillains everywhere! What makes you think I’m gonna help you?!”

“Because you aren’t what you used to be, Revan. You’re a part of me. You were the part that wanted to serve the KND and do good. This is your chance, Numbuh 23 BBY. The second chance you know you’ve always wanted. It’s time to stop denying your feelings… and join me.”

“But…But what’ll my villains think?” Revan cried. “They looked up to me. If I’m suddenly the good guy, they’ll be heartbroken.”

“They’ll never know, Revan. They’ll probably think Caesar’s fruit was a failure. I’m positive they’ll remember you as the maniacal genius they once knew. And they’ll keep committing crimes in your name.”

“Yes… You’re right, Nolan! Evil will stand strong, no matter what giant scarecrows dare to terrorize the land! Okay… then let’s do it.” Revan grabbed Nolan’s hand. “TOGETHER!” Their souls joined into one and became a swirling portal. The souls of Nolan’s friends flew into the vortex.

“You’re one brave son of a bitch, Nolan.” Dillon said.

“B-B-But, it’s what we l-like best about you.” Corey said.

“And hey, it’s an honor to be fighting beside you again.” Yuki said.

“Time to show them all what we old men can do.” Nigel Uno said.

“Courage will always be stronger than fear!” declared Rachel Uno.

“This is WAY more mad than I could ever be!” grinned Mika.

“It’s time, Nolan! On your feet!” Dodds exclaimed.

Nolan appeared to be unconscious in the real world, his nose bleeding. “Nolan…” Danika assumed the worst.

“Heh heh heh… A fool of a hero, right to the bitter end. Having pleasant dreams, Nolan?” Affright bent over him, slowly moving Horror’s Hand to touch him. “Enjoy them. Because they will be yours… for the rest of your existence.”

Nolan’s body BURST and blew Affright off. A tremendous surge of power radiated from his being, the wind dramatically picking up as Danika tried to stand her ground. The city was lit with bright blue, the source of which was a giant flaming aura of psychic. Danika squinted her eyes from its brightness, and could barely make out the shadow in the center of the psychic. …But then, it was all clear.

Nolan’s trenchcoat had grown longer and lighter in color, with ragged edges, blowing in the wind. His pants were dark blue, his muscular body was exposed through the open coat, and his blue and yellow eyes gave a surrealistic glimmer.

Dillon, Carol, Vanellope, and Crystal felt the energy and rushed over to see. Misaka, Nagisa, Sebastian, and their friends watched from afar, agape at what Nolan had become. “Nolan…” Danika spoke, nearly out of breath.

“Dad…?”

Nolan smiled at his family. “Don’t worry, son. Your old man’s got things covered.” He blasted toward Affright like a cannon, his Haki-imbued punch sending him across the city.

Affright recovered and raised Horror’s Hand, drawing in the energy of all Nightmares in the city. Once again, he transformed into his Frightmare form, Horror’s Hand glimmering like a blood moon. “Father… what has happened to Nolan?” Jack asked.

“I don’t… believe it…” The sight brought Darkrai out of his coma, his gray very slowly turning to black. “I never thought I would witness a bender… perform the Final Fury. Let alone an artificial psychicbender. His chi is being fueled by the combined spirits of those he loved. By increasing his power to the absolute max, he is truly willing to die. At this time, when fear is completely irrelevant to him… this may be the only thing that can defeat Horror’s Hand.”

 

**Heavy inspiration from _Hunter X Hunter_. Next time, the final chapter of the Horror’s Hand Arc.**


	14. Darth Ferior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween Night ends with Nolan York's final battle.

**I’m officially marking this as the 3rd Newborn story instead of the 4th. It’s more fitting for _Araea’s Mask_ to come next, since that one’s about winter, and this is autumn. Play “Vs. Marx” from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!**

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Chapter 14: Darth Ferior

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_Final boss: Frightmare Affright_

The titan conjured a scythe in Horror’s Hand and slashed it down, piercing the street, but missing his adversary. Darth Ferior had teleported skyward, forming a massive Psycho Sphere and forcing it down onto Affright. The giant raised his hand to block it, no matter how much pressure he added, the sphere only seemed to increase with strength before exploding. Affright flew further across the city, all the while shooting Fear Spheres from his palm. Nolan swiftly dodged the spheres as he flew after him.

After landing on his feet, Affright released red smoke from his hand in the form of demonic boars. Nolan expanded a psychic bubble between them to spread them apart, but the boars quickly recovered and pierced him from both sides with their horns. Nolan teleported back, defending himself as the boars insisted on skewering him. His bubble was giving way, but Nolan created a giant sword of psychic above the boars and sliced them in half. He redirected the sword and lunged it toward Affright, who instinctively blocked with his scythe.

Affright used a Scare Stare in attempt to stir Nolan, but he didn’t falter. _“Impossible! Since when does a man have no fear?!”_ Affright imbued his scythe with more Fear Chi and managed to cut through the sword, but Nolan seized the chance to fly into his face, blood spewing from Affright’s nose as he bounced across town. Nolan followed this with a psychic beam that sent him flying out of Cleveland completely. _“I see… you don’t want anyone else to get hurt. Then you ARE still afraid-”_

Nolan silenced him by smashing him into the ground with a giant fist. “They don’t need me, anymore. I have faith they’ll prevail!” Affright blew the fist off and twirled his scythe as Cyclones of Fear blew into being. He sent them to Cleveland, so Darth Ferior created even taller cylinders around the cyclones to compress them. Affright slashed down on the psychic from behind, but a psychic body that resembled Brett Gunkan blocked the scythe with his swords. Now finished with the cyclones, Nolan warped behind Affright and bashed the side of his head with a psychic frying pan.

Angered, Affright whipped around and SLICED Nolan in half, but the illusion faded. He looked around at all the dozens of Nolans, and could only chuckle at the simple parlor trick. He unleashed a Fear Scream to dispose of all the fakes, and when the real one lunged at him from the sky, Affright thrusted Horror’s Hand up and blasted him across the field. Nolan teleported back and swung his fists at the air repeatedly, telekinetically punching Affright each time. The titan slashed his scythe up from below him, and Nolan poured as much power as possible into his psychic to push it down.

Back in the town, Misaka had to unleash lots of lightning to stun Mocha, and when the bender was worn out, Sebastian gave one final kick to knock the giant out. “I never thought I’d say it, but these children are more terrifying than demons.”

The butler was immediately met with a Light Fist to the gut, hacking blood out. Sheila Frantic marched up, her eyes full of fury behind her Conker mask. “Hey, mother buzzer… how would you like an arse-whoopin’?”

Misaka struck lightning, but Sheila used Light Feet to zip behind and kick the back of her head. Misaka felt pain course through her skull, and her electricity was more distorted when she tried to aim at Sheila. “Um, would someone help me?” Wiccan asked, her staff quaking as Maddy approached her. She didn’t stand a chance against her Haki Fury, so it seemed like it was the end.

A syringe came flying and stuck Sheila in the neck. “Eh? Ohhhh…” The Faunus fainted.

“Dr. Haruka is in the house!” Haruka was levitating five syringes with her bending. Behind her were Madotsuki and several GUN soldiers. “Boys, start the treatment!”

The soldiers stuck Mason, Anthony, Aranea, Chris Uno, and MaKayla King. They stuck Mocha in the neck, but the giant smacked her hand to it like a fly, getting up in a rage. “She’s too strong! We need more!”

Haruka threw two more antidotes into Mocha. “This might be harder than I thought…” Haruka said, looking to Sector GT.

Nolan trapped Affright in a giant bubble and tried to crush him inside it, but the titan cleaved an opening with the scythe. The scythe opened and extracted twin buzzsaws, which tried to cut Nolan simultaneously. Nolan dodged up and used giant hands to grab the rods of the saws and tear them off. The saws faded away, and Affright swung the scythe viciously with the sole desire to slaughter him. Nolan defended himself with a bubble of psychic and Haki, and afterwards he tried to pry the scythe away from Affright.

_“There’s no way you can have such skill with psychicbending. Only Revan could have that power. He must be in control! So, why are you fighting me?!”_

“Caesar created that fruit to give me Revan’s mind. But I still have my heart!”

_“Ridiculous! Even if your heart mattered, you should have lost your will to fight after murdering Gunkan!”_

“You’re wrong. Some feelings are more powerful than fear, Affright.” Nolan released his grip on the scythe to make Affright stumble, then created an Armament psychic fist to punch him in the head. “Look at them. The reason they made it so far is because they possessed other feelings besides fear. The Kids Next Door possess courage!”

Haruka stuck Cheren Uno with a syringe, the Supreme Leader dropping his weapons and growing dizzy. “They possess faith!” Ciel stuck Index with a syringe while Nagisa stuck Goombella. “They possess love!” Ruby dealt a fiery punch to Bon Clay, Jr., while Sapphire threw Libby Belle into Hibiki. The soldiers could inject them, and the two aliens grinned and high-fived. “They possess happiness!” Madotsuki blew Sleep Bubbles onto Maddy to make her drowsy. With her Haki Fury failing, Crystal was able to inject her with antidote. “And they possess friendship!” Mocha was groggily coming back to her senses. She faintly saw a deranged Chimney threatening to eat Aeincha. She gasped and punched the ground with enough force to make Chimney drop her. She carefully scooped the Lilliputian onto her pinky nail.

“And even if your plan succeeds and the whole world fears them, it won’t matter! Because they will ALWAYS give people hope!”

 _“The HELL with your hope! The Kids Next Door were never there for me! The world needs to see them for the monsters they truly ARE!”_ Affright whipped around and fired a beam from Horror’s Hand, but Darkrai II blocked the attack completely.

“HURRRRRR! I’m not… AFRAID of you anymore, Brother!” the king spoke with passion in his eye. “My greatest fear has always been becoming like my father. I will not be manipulated… by his feelings of you!”

“You want to know what true hope is, Affright?!” Nolan faced up at the jack-o-lantern that blotted the sun. Using the full force of his psychicbending, he grabbed the jack-o-lantern and began to bring it down. “It’s what infants feel when they stop crying and start laughing! It’s what allows us to keep smiling and keep going even after the worst has happened! It’s when the sun shines in the heavens and brings warmth to our world! Just look up, Affright, AND SEE YOUR HOPE!” The pumpkin came plummeting to the earth like a comet.

Affright ceased the laser and aimed Horror’s Hand at the pumpkin, firing another laser in attempt to combat it. With the entirety of Nolan’s psychic combined with the heat and velocity of entering the atmosphere, even Horror’s Hand could do little. With nothing to blot it, the sun shone upon the world, and Affright was blinded by facing up at it. _“AAAAAAHHH!”_

The jack-o-lantern kept falling until it was pressed against the palm of Horror’s Hand, the energy of the laser spraying everywhere. The power continued to build up, causing cracks to appear around Horror’s Hand. With a blinding explosion, the hand and the jack-o-lantern shattered. (End song.)

Everyone in town braced their selves from the ferocious gust of wind that resulted. The remaining operatives under Affright’s control began to calm down. When the dust settled, Dillon, Danika, and all Nolan’s comrades rushed to the battle site.

Affright lay in a massive crater, his left arm destroyed and bleeding. Beside him lay the spirit of Horror’s Hand. The spirit opened his eyes, gazing up at Darkrai the Second. Anger was clear in his eye as he held the Nightmare Sword. “Well? …You going to kill me?”

“…” Darkrai sheathed the sword. He gently picked the child up in his arms. “…Marshadow…”

“What?”

“That is the name I give to you. I will do what my father failed to do. I will give you a home… and a family.”

“…” A tear leaked from his eye. “Mar…shadow… That’s all I ever wanted…”

Darkrai turned to the others. “Madotsuki… I have a request. Could you… put us to sleep?”

She nodded. Her eyes closed, Madotsuki got her bottle of Sleepy Suds, dipped her wand in, and softly blew a giant pink bubble. The bubble swallowed Darkrai and Marshadow, and within seconds, they fell asleep. “Ho boy…” Jack sighed. “’Guess I have to watch over Nightmare Land for a while.”

“…Hu-! Dad!” Dillon ran past Affright and further down the wasteland. He found his father lying half-dead, his body grey and withered.

“Cough…cough… son…”

“Dad.” He smiled. “You did it.”

“Dillon… I…I’m so proud… of how far you’ve come. I’m proud… of all you kids… and I’m so glad… you let this old man join you…”

“Dad, you’re… being a bit melodramatic, aren’t you?”

“Never give up, Dillon… it’s a brand new day… and you have years of adventures ahead of you. Good-bye… Dillon… I… love you.” Nolan closed his eyes. His body dissolved into dust and blew away in the wind. Dillon and everyone watched with morbid expressions as the dust vanished in the sky.

“…Hm hm hm… ha ha ha ha!” Dillon laughed. “Very funny, Dad! This is just a mind-trick! No way you would die from this!”

It was silent for a moment. The wind howled in their ears. “Heh… come on, Dad, enough foolin’ around. Come on out, let’s celebrate!”

“Dillon…” Midna approached him. “I can’t feel your father’s shadow, anymore.”

“…” Dillon frowned. “But… it’s impossible. He can’t be…He can’t be gone!” He faced down at the spot where his father last lay. _“DAAAAAAAD!”_ Carol, Vanellope, and Danika shared his grief. Madotsuki, Nagisa, Misaka, and Crystal were crying, too. Jack put a hand where his heart used to be. The world was quickly warming up under the revitalized sun… yet it also felt bleak.

**KND Memorial Cemetery**

Three days had passed since the battle. All of the operatives were treated and were fully recovered, and most of Affright’s Nightmares disappeared. The GKND took part in the recoveries, primarily on Earth. They learned that Affright had poisoned the Treehouse Roots in order to infect all the treehouses, so plantbenders from Flora helped to cure the roots and make the treehouses breathable again. They got mages from the Avalar KND to cast spells on the treehouses, so that no one could teleport inside of them, to reduce the risk of villain invasions. Affright was hospitalized in GUN, and his mind felt hazy after the endeavor.

The sky was gray as everyone gathered at the cemetery, around the statue that marked the hero’s grave. “I’ll never forget the day Nolan York joined the Kids Next Door.” spoke Mario Ramsey. “An eager young boy, getting mixed up in business that wasn’t his own. But greatness could come from unexpected places, as we all know, and Numbuh 2030 was no exception. Even as he was manipulated by a supervillain. Even as he became an adult, he was a dedicated operative. He worked to make a better place for all kids. Especially his.”

Dillon York could not repress his tears. Mason put a hand on his shoulder, and Carol held his hand. “I…I… If only I asked him… to trick-or-treat with me… once last time…” Dillon sniffled.

“It wouldn’t have mattered, Dillon.” Carol said. “Your father would have had a job to do. The fault belongs to all of us for falling under Affright’s control. Even so… Mr. York saved us all in the end. It was an honor working with him.”

“Nolan…” Crystal spoke to the grave. “If it weren’t for you… I may never have been introduced to this world. Because of you, I’ve seen things that I would have deemed impossible otherwise. You’ve shown me the Kids Next Door… you’ve shown me the universe… and you gave me an unforgettable friendship.”

“Mr. York…” Nagisa spoke next, fighting back tears as well. “I know our apprenticeship was short-lived… but I really enjoyed it. I kind of thought of you as a father figure… and there was a lot more I wish I could’ve learned from you. But you had more important things to worry about.”

Misaka stepped forward. Behind her were Shirai, Accelerator, and some of her Sisters. “Mr. York… I just wanna tell you again… thank you for helping my sisters. I know that you couldn’t save all of them, but I’m still really grateful for your help, and I’m glad that I met you. So… if you see any of my sisters up there… tell them I said ‘Hey.’”

“Hm…” Sebastian closed his eyes. “When my master assigned me under him, I was skeptical. But after fighting beside him, I can say for certain… he was one hell of a fighter.”

“Sniff, sniff!” Mey-Rin sniffed. “He was the only man who got the best of me, yes he was!”

“He saved my father and Halloween twice. No matter who it was, he was always looking out for those in need.” Jack said.

“He was a man of justice and resolve.” Ciel said.

“He was a great man.” Danika said.

“He was a great dad.” Vanellope sniffled, making a spark.

“He was… a true hero.” Dillon said.

Mario stepped aside as Death the Kid took the mantle. “Ahem… and so, it is here Nolan York will be immortalized. He will stand here alongside Brett Gunkan, Nigel Uno, Leanne Grayson, and many other former operatives who have left this world. Rest assured, he will join us in the Spirit World, but as per regulations, you will not be allowed to see his spirit, lest your souls become corrupted. However, Nolan York will always be with you inside your hearts. May his influence in the Spirit World make you stronger.”

Once the Demon King had finished, Cheren Uno was next to speak. “We may have saved the universe… but we were fooling ourselves if we thought the battles would be over. Villains will continue to attack us. We must follow Mr. York’s example, and continue to protect our world. We must continue to stand as everyone’s beacon of hope, no matter who stands against us. But most importantly, Kids Next Door… never forget to smile and look to the future.”

**KND Moonbase; the next day**

On November 10, the Kids Next Door hosted the Halloween party they had missed out on. “Hi, everyone!” Romeo Conbolt cheered as he flew around the air, dressed in green garb. “I’m Peter Pan! And this is my fairy, Tinker Bell!” Wendy Marvell had miniaturized herself, using Kiki’s broom to fly beside him.

“How long do I have to do this?” asked Carla, the winged kitten holding Romeo so it looked like he was flying.

“As soon as we beat Captain Hook, Carla!” Wendy squeaked, dressed like Tink.

“‘Look at all the silly costumes,’ says Misaka-Misaka, in love with the idea of dressing as something you’re not!” cheered the youngest Misaka clone, dressed like a frog. “‘Accelerator, kiss me so I can change back into a human,’ Misaka-Misaka requests teasingly.”

“Stick a fly in it, froggy.” Accelerator said in aggravation.

“Look, everybody!” Mary Goldenweek cheered, twirling around and wearing a giant Honey Candy wrapper. “I’m a candy! And you have to give me candy! Isn’t it weird giving candy to candy? That’s just like cannibalism!”

“Just be careful, sweetheart.” Vweeb said, dressed like an ogre. “I dressed as candy once, it wasn’t a good experience.”

“Kuroko, you promised you wouldn’t go dressed as me again!” Misaka shouted at her roommate, blushing.

“I tried, Sissy, really I tried!” Kuroko replied, looking almost identical to her friend. “But the idea of us looking like actual twins was something I couldn’t pass up!”

“But I don’t even look like myself right now!” Misaka was dressed like Goddess Palutena.

“No one said I was gonna change back after this. So, have you thought about that Cheren boy’s offer?”

“I don’t know if I wanna join the Kids Next Door, yet. I mean, I guess I should for Mr. York’s sake… but between working for them and school, it would be too complicated.”

“Well, the second you make your decision, you let me know immediately. Because I’ll be going along for the ride.”

Dillon got some punch from the table and took a sip. “Check it out, Dillon!” Carol rolled up in a wheelchair, her hair dyed red. “I got Aeincha to dye my hair, so now I really look like Barbara Gordon! …I hope the chair isn’t offensive or anything.”

“Heh heh heh! No, it’s fine, Carol. My dad would’ve loved it.”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, I’m better. You know, my mom says it might’ve been for the best. With all the Formula Q he injected, he never would’ve been able to move after it wore off. Heh, he would be too much trouble to take care of. And even better, GUN gave us 500,000 dollars as thanks to my dad for beating Affright. Hehe, so it’s the first time he actually provided for us!”

“Ha ha ha! That’s good, at least!”

“Still, there was something about Horror’s Hand.” Midna said, rising from Dillon’s shadow. “I felt the same aura that I felt in that God Production Chamber. The same aura that a Firstborn would have.”

“Are you kidding?” Dillon asked. “Just like that Hoopa thing with Sector MG? Or that Victini that attacked us on Field Day? Just how many Firstborn are there?”

“I don’t know, anymore… but I’m worried.” Midna stared into space. “With me and the other Firstborn having lost our God Chi… we have no way of protecting ourselves from these New Firstborn. If the others are anything like Marshadow… the universe is in danger all over again.”

“Yeah, but we’ll be alright.” Dillon smiled, watching everyone party happily. “We came this far, didn’t we? We’ll enjoy ourselves for a little bit and get back to the action tomorrow.”

**Spirit World**

Nolan York followed a path to the center of a quiet forest. There was a lone, stone bench that faced into nothing. Nolan took a seat, laying his right arm on the backrest. Revan appeared beside him. “I have to admit, Nolan… that was quite a thrill. Being inside you. Oh, and being the hero, too.”

“This doesn’t change anything, Revan. I expect you to stay in Underworld Prison and live out the rest of your sentence.”

“I know, I know. …But we both know you enjoyed it.”

“You’ve done terrible things, and I still hate you for it… but somehow, I still think of you as my friend. I don’t think you’re truly evil deep down. I think you’re confused. Just like I was.”

“Nolan, I killed two of my friends and ordered the deaths of two of yours, I’m as evil as they come. Heck, when I was an Inferius, I danced on your dad’s grave. And yet, being inside you kind of opened my heart a little… I felt what you did around people like Nagisa or Misaka. A sense of pride and… a fatherly bond. It’s almost like what I felt with my villains.”

“A father’s job is to nurture his children and prepare them for the future. And I guess I did think of myself like that around them. Dillon didn’t need me anymore, but I wasn’t ready to give up, yet. Nagisa, Misaka, Vanellope, Doflamingo in a more aggressive way… but even though I’m dead, I can still protect them.”

“Yeah, well… you have fun with that. But if you ever need someone to play with, you know where to find me. See you around… Darth Ferior.” Revan closed his eyes and disappeared. (Play “Careless Whisper” by George Michael.)

Nolan heard footsteps and looked to see Dillon Simmons and Corey Sanderson walk out of the forest. “You ready to go, Nolan?” Dillon asked.

“Yeah, Dillon. Let’s go.”

After decades of being separated, the three of them walked together once again. Their destination was the massive treehouse in the distance.

**_The Horrorverse_ : Cast:**

**Jensen Ackles as _Nolan York_**

**Greg Cipes as _Dillon York_**

**Cricket Leigh as _Danika York_**

**Alesia Glidewell as _Crystal Wickens_**

Crystal hung up the vigilante post and applied for the position at Adams Tech Co.. The scientists were in awe as she conjured a makeshift storm cloud from a staff composed of their technology.

**Kerry Williams as _Carol Masterson_ and _Haruka Dimalanta_**

**Lauren Tom as _Vanellope von Schweetz_**

**Marc Thompson as _Brett Gunkan_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Revan Bane Sidious_**

**Lindsay Seidel as Nagisa Shiota and _Romeo Conbolt_**

Misaka Worst was transferred to a prison in Academy City. As she entered the police station, she was surprised when her eldest sister greeted her with a friendly smile. Accelerator was sitting in the waiting area while Misaka-Misaka was running around.

**Brittney Karbowski as _Mikoto Misaka_ , _Misaka Sisters_ , _Mocha_ , and _Wendy Marvell_**

**J. Michael Tatum as _Sebastian Michaelis_**

**Brina Palencia as _Ciel Phantomhive_**

**Chris Sarandon as _Jack Skellington_**

**Bill Rogers as _Darkrai II_**

**Akiko Koumoto as _Midna_**

**Benicio del Toro as _Taneleer Tivan_**

Shadow the Hedgehog stood atop a roof in Cleveland. A unicorn suddenly landed beside him as its rider hopped off. He was clad in a red and black suit and mask, his eyes appearing white. He had swords crossed on his back and a belt with guns. “Yo, what’re you still doin’ here, Shadow? We got other missions to do, more ***kers to kill!”

“I’ll return soon, Wade. This place just… brings back memories.”

“Yeah, it brings me memories, too, memories of when I still worked for a wuss of a bounty hunter. Why they keep sendin’ me to get you, anyway, ol’ Deadpool’s too important for this. THAT’S RIGHT!” he shouted at the readers. “I’m part of CP0 too, bitches! Stay tuned if you want more!” With that, he mounted his unicorn and rode off to the sky.

**John Noble as _Affright_**

**Mark Hamill as _Caesar Clown_**

**Mike McFarland as _Kelvin Renbourn_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Mandy McKenzie_ and _Chimney_**

**Austin Tindle as _Accelerator_**

**Alison Viktorin as _Shirai Kuroko_**

Mustache Girl climbed out of a goop portal in an unknown hideout. “I heard what you were doing.” said a cloaked figure with an exposed red eye. “That was very irresponsible of you.”

“So, I sunk a few buildings. Isn’t that what being rebellious is about?”

“We’re not rebels for the sake of being rebels. Our job is to liberate the worlds of oppressors who try to rob people of freedom.”

“Well, aren’t you kind of liberating _my_ freedom to run around and do what I want?”

“Heh heh heh!” The man grinned. “Relax, my dear. I promise you will have all the freedom you could ever ask for soon. For now, let’s focus on the mission at hand. Besides, the Koopas can’t be too pleased with you for stealing their Paint Staff. We don’t want you to get captured again.”

**Monica Rial as _Mey-Rin_ and _Index_**

**Jason Liebrecht as _Finnian_**

**Ian Sinclair as _Baldroy_**

**Jason Griffith as _Shadow the Hedgehog_**

**Pat Carroll as _Sherry Linlin_**

Riddler used his staff as a cane as he limped into his base. A small fairy with a crown fluttered up and kissed him on the cheek. Riddler smiled as he took his seat upon the throne, overlooking his factory. Hundreds of fairies with hammers were building “?” trophies and all kinds of puzzling contraptions.

**Wally Wingert as _The Riddler_**

**Eileen Montgomery as _Mustache Girl_**

**Ben Diskin as _Matthew Dimalanta_ and _Nigel Uno_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Luvbi Fulbright_**

**Tara Strong as _Sheila Frantic_ , _Angelie McKenzie_ , _Eva Jackson_ , _Melody Jackson_ , _Maddy Murphy_ , and _Gwen Tucker_**

**Sharon Mann as _Cheren Uno_**

**Cindy Robinson as _Jinta Hanakari_**

**Hynden Walch as _Mary Goldenweek_**

Following the death of Baron Kelvin, the Noah’s Ark Circus members were wandering a field. They saw a helicopter coming down for a landing; it was actually Bison Oxford using his Copter Fruit. Riding in his mouth were Aeral Sarah and the newly released Doflamingo Jr..

“You and I share something in common.” Doflamingo said. “The same man killed both our fathers. Unfortunately, that same man is also dead now, so we don’t get to enjoy vengeance. But I will be happy to fund your circus.” He grinned. “You’ll get greater wages than ever… if you work for me.”

**Matthew Mercer as _Joker_**

**Mikaela Krantz as _Doll_**

**Tia Ballard as _Beast_**

**Michael Sinterniklaas as _Dagger_**

**Vic Mignogna as _Peter_**

**Rachel Robinson as _Wendy_**

**Dan Green as _Vaati_**

**Seth MacFarlane as _Roger the Alien_**

**_Batman: Arkham_ owned by DC Comics and Rocksteady Studios**

**Nolan York, Affright, Crystal Wickens, and other characters owned by Depthcharge2030**

**All other characters and crossovers belong to their respective owners**

**Published by Archive of Our Own**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**_The Horrorverse_ : _END_**

After the party, Sector W7 returned to their treehouse. The members were in peaceful slumber, free of nightmares. “Yaaaaawn… I had the craziest dream that I ate you, Gonbe-chan.” Chimney said to her rabbit, getting in bed. “Good thing I would never do that! Good night, Gonbe.” And she was snoring away.

After a while, Gonbe woke up and walked out of the room. The rabbit pulled off his hood, revealing to be Roger the Alien. “Boy, this whole rabbit gig is gonna bite me in the ass, I know it.” He dialed a phone. “Hey, Dio, it’s me. The kids went to sleep, so I’m free. You doing anything tonight? …Jenny’s? Heh, I know she’s a good cook, but I didn’t think you were into that. …She made ONE good flapjack, I think you’re overselling it. …New rocket-powered trampoline? Well, strap me in, we have liftoff! Ha ha ha!” Roger hung up and was gone from the treehouse in the blink of an eye.

**_Sandman’s adventure continues in_ The Spiritverse.**

**Which is a story I will probably never write. I’ll leave it up to someone else if they wanna write it. ;P But this concludes the first major adventure story in the Newborn Saga. So, what did you think? What was your favorite battle, who was your favorite partner or villain? Either way, I think I did a pretty decent job with this story, and it was a good setup for things to come. My only regret is not doing more with the side missions, but there comes a point when things get repetitive. I would also like to thank Ohaymikoto and IDA Official for joining me on this open-world quest. I’ll be resuming production of _Araea’s Mask_ soon. But first, we need to cool down from this story. Next in the saga: _Sector $_.**


End file.
